TENSION IN ABUJA OVER HIGH PROFILE MURDERS, IS THIS THE SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

Barely a week later, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to South Africa, Ambassador Sunday S. Yusuf, was gruesomely killed on the night of Monday, June 13, 2016, by unknown assailants.
The killers reportedly threw the ambassador through the window of his flat located on the third floor of a building at the Wuse Zone 6 Diplomatic quarters.
The career diplomat reportedly landed on his head and his corpse was found in a drainage beside the house in a mutilated state with the skull shattered.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that Ambassador Yusuf was heard screaming by some guards around the area at around 2 am, probably during the attack that led to his death.
A family member of the murdered ambassador, who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday on condition of anonymity was outraged that such a prominent citizen could be killed at a government quarters with total disregard or fear of security agencies.
An indigene of Niger State, it was learnt that Yusuf, who recently returned from South Africa, lived alone in the diplomatic quarters, while his immediate family members live abroad.
The Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Commissioner of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, immediately ordered the Command’s homicide investigation unit to investigate the murder of Ambassador Yusuf.
The FCT Police spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah, said the commissioner directed the homicide section under the Command Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, to take over the investigation of the killing.
Meanwhile, the acting Registrar of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, (MLSCN), Olufunke Omotuyi was stabbed to death about 4.00 am.
Omotuyi, 59, and mother of two lived in her apartment with a young female relation while her husband, Venerable Olawole Omotuyi of the Anglican Church of Nigeria  lives in Lagos with the rest of the family, Daily Trust on Sunday gathered. She was reportedly stabbed in the neck and chest by her assailants.
Omotuyi became the acting registrar in February 25 this year, following the directive of the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to the former registrar of the council, Prof. Anthony O. Emeribe, to vacate office.
The slain acting registrar was supposed to retire in October, it was gathered. She was buried on Friday, June 17 in her hometown, Ifaki, Ekiti State.
The President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, (AMLSN), Alhaji Toyosi Raheem, described Omotuyi as a very humble, innocent and peaceful mother and an astute medical laboratory scientist.
He said the murder of the registrar was unimaginable and painful. “Omotuyi could hardly harm a fly. It is unfortunate that the life of this humble and peaceful woman had been cut off through this means,” he said.
The murder has left the staff of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria, the health sector, and the country in shock.
She was killed barely three hours to an awareness walk organized by the council to enlighten the public about the World Accreditation Day; and also a day to the workshop to mark the event.
Staff of the council said she was in the office till Tuesday evening making calls to dignitaries far and near, and putting final touches to the arrangements for the workshop only to be murdered on Wednesday morning.
A source at the council who spoke on condition of anonymity said the staff were gathered at the venue of the walk around 7.00 am that Wednesday morning, and sent a driver to pick the late council boss from her house to join them for the walk, only for the driver to return to say he couldn’t find her.
It was later when they dispersed and were going to the office that information filtered in that she was stabbed by unknown persons and rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja by her neighbors, the source said.
However, the workshop held and it was at the event that the Deputy Registrar of the council, Erhabor Tosan confirmed the murder of Omotuyi.
He said that the commemoration of the World Accreditation Day was supposed to be postponed but the management decided to go ahead with it because the late acting registrar worked hard to ensure that the programme held before her life was cut short a day before.
Both staff and guests were in a sober mood throughout the event as the thrust of the Day was lost and overshadowed with tributes, tears and lamentations. The staff wore black attires in honour of the slain acting registrar, and various speakers called for justice and punishment of those responsible.
Chairman of the occasion and former Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma, Professor Dennis Agbonlahor, warned youths posting inciting messages and hate comments over the matter on the social media to desist.
The President of the Association of Medical laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, (AMLSN), Alhaji Toyosi Raheem called on members of the association to eschew violence and emulate the virtues of late Omotuyi.
The Thursday event was followed the next day with a press briefing by AMLSN where they called on the Inspector -General of Police, Solomon Arase, to ensure the deployment of strategies that would lead to the arrest of the killers of the acting registrar.
Alhaji Toyosi said the police and other law enforcement agencies should not allow the killing to go unresolved like other murders in the country.
“We expect tangible outcome of the investigations that will unravel those responsible for the gruesome killing. This killing must not be swept under the carpet as done in the past for similar killings,” he said.
He also called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the reconstitution of the governing board of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria to enable it resolve all issues surrounding the appointment of a substantive registrar.
He said the association, as a mark of respect declared a five-day mourning period for the slain acting registrar. During the period, all medical laboratory scientists, technicians and assistants wore black arm bands while condolence registers were opened at all chapters, branches and the national secretariat of the association.
While urging members with credible information to make it available to the police, Raheem said they should all continue to ask “Who killed Mrs Olufunke Omotuyi?’ until they get a satisfactory answer.
Contacted yesterday for an update on the matter, the FCT Police spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah, said investigations into the killings are still ongoing.
He noted that the police authorities would not preempt the work of investigators by revealing the actions that are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.
However, Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that some individuals have been invited to give statements on the killings, but the source declined to give the names of those questioned, saying it would jeopardize investigations.