Did You Know? Adebayo ‘Fryo’ Adedamola, Osun PDP Guber Candidate, was Arraigned for Bola Ige’s Murder

On December 2, Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola stepped into the spotlight as the newly elected governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the Osun state August 2026 governorship election.

His emergence came after Ademola Adeleke, initially slated for the race, abruptly resigned from the PDP, citing the party’s unending leadership turbulence. And just like that, the ticket went into Adedamola’s hand, a man whose name is now stitched into political conversations across the state.

But for many older residents of Osun and Oyo, Adedamola’s name does not sound new. Also known as ‘Fryo’, the name rings a bell, loudly at that.

Decades earlier, he appeared in police files and courtroom transcripts as a prime suspect in the death of Bola Ige.

A NAME FROM A DARK HISTORY

On December 23, 2001, Ige, then Nigeria’s attorney-general and minister of justice, was shot dead inside his Bodija home in Ibadan, Oyo state capital. The killing shook the country. Fingers pointed immediately toward the fierce political feud in Osun between Bisi Akande, then governor, and Iyiola Omisore, his deputy.

Ige was central to the political crisis in Osun, acting as a mediator within the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to reconcile Akande and Omisore, whose relationship broke down over party dominance.

But as tensions escalated into clashes between supporters, and Omisore was subsequently impeached, his mediation was seen as siding with Akande, and the feud reportedly culminated in Ige’s assassination.

During that period, a few days before his death, Ige was attacked in Ile-Ife by a mob of angry youths reportedly loyal to Omisore. He was publicly humiliated, and his cap was removed from his head — a major insult in Yoruba culture.

On January 14, 2002, Festus Keyamo, a human rights lawyer, presented Adedamola to journalists as an informant who, according to him, had inside knowledge about those behind Ige’s murder. Adedamola subsequently surrendered to the police.

Keyamo presented to the public and the police an affidavit wherein he claimed Adedamola knew Ige’s killers and that Omisore once offered Adedamola N5 million to kill Ige, which he (Adedamola) allegedly rejected.

“He (the suspect) came to me because he felt abandoned by everybody. He thought he had nobody in the world and believed they have abandoned him. He knows all the facts. Those that did it on his finger-tips. We will release evidence in stages because from the details, we knew the identities of those who masterminded the killings,” Keyamo told journalists.

However, Adedamola later reversed his claims and alleged that Keyamo pressured him to frame Omisore, saying the lawyer took advantage of him to boost his public profile.

“I trace my ordeal to the event in the Ooni Palace, where I saw the youths singing against Ige, and I participated in removing his cap. We did it because we knew that he was the brain behind the crisis. I did not know about his death,” Adedamola said.

Thirteen suspects, including Alani Omisore, the cousin of the deputy governor, were arraigned before an Ibadan high court.

Others on the charge list included: Adesiyan Oyewale Jelili, Adekunle Alao, Hon. Lambe Oyasope, Daramola Ezekiel, Sergeant Oye Oniyanda, Adebayo Adegoke, Karimu Lawal, Nelson Kumoye, Oluwole Ogunjiwu, Police Corporal Sule Ibrahim, and Idowu James.

At one point, the dragnet widened so dramatically that even Omisore and Keyamo were arrested and arraigned in connection with the murder.

The back-and-forth weakened the prosecution’s case.

On October 16, 2004, the six remaining accused persons — Adedamola, Daramola Ezekiel, Oye Oniyanda, Nelson Kumoye, Kareem Lawal, Adebayo Adegoke and Oluwole Ogunjimi — were set free by the court after Atilade Ojo, the judge, ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the two-count charge of conspiracy and murder levelled against them.

Ultimately, no one has ever been convicted for Ige’s murder, and to date, the question, “Who killed Bola Ige?” remains unanswered.

BEFORE IGE’S MURDER, WHO WAS FRYO?

According to a 2002 interview, Adedamola was born to Tunde Adebayo, a fourth-republic lawmaker in the Ekiti State House of Assembly, and Olumide, daughter of Ayo Martins, popularly known as Olowo Idiope, a first-republic parliamentarian.

Martins, who was then 85 years old, said when Adedamola’s name came up in the murder investigation, he was “disturbed”.

“My family is not that kind of family; it is a Christian family. We have never been involved in anything criminal to the extent of murdering somebody or something like that. I was scared,” Martins said.

Martins recalled that his daughter was still a student at a grammar school; he could not recall the name when Tunde, then a medical doctor at the state hospital, impregnated her.

“At that time, I was a member of the Western House of Assembly in Ibadan. I was told someone had impregnated my daughter. My sister told me, and she took court action against the man. He was ordered to care for my daughter and the pregnancy,” he said.

He explained that Adedamola — whom he simply called Damola — grew up with his (Martins’) sister and later spent some time with his maternal grandmother before Tunde eventually came to claim him.

Martins added that years later, while on a visit to OAU, he met Adedamola, who was still in school despite having said he was enrolled in a two-year physical education course.

“After some time, I kept seeing him, and I asked, ‘You told me you were doing physical education — it’s only a two-year course. Why are you still here?’ He said he had changed his course to international relations, and I said, “Okay,” he recounted.

Martins admitted he neither liked Adedamola nor his father, blaming Tunde for cutting short Olumide’s education.

“You see, right from the word go, because of the way the father treated my daughter, I didn’t like either the boy or the father. I didn’t like them at all,” he said.

‘DENIED BY HIS FATHER’

Patrick Babatunde Adebayo, Fryo’s acclaimed father, was the chairman of the committee on health, Ekiti State House of Assembly, when the murder saga broke out, and Fryo was named a prime suspect.

Tunde, who represented Ayedun constituency, was said to have been embarrassed by the development and reportedly denied Fryo’s paternity.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Mixed reactions have trailed Adedamola’s emergence as the PDP candidate, with many Nigerians taking to social media to express their thoughts.

In a post on X, The Classic Man, questioned Adedamola’s suitability for the role, given his history.

“This nomination raises serious questions about the quality of leadership Nigeria is producing,” the social media user wrote.

Below are other reactions to his emergence:

No be “FRYO” be this. I just remember following Bola Ige case as a young boy. This name rings bell https://t.co/qVHzAgLLcw

— Ghengis Khan (@Alameensodiq) December 2, 2025

As he shock you na so he shock me oooo when I found out

— Ayekooto (@ayekooto_NG) December 2, 2025

I wanted to ask since yesterday….Na wa o…. if anyone told us that FRYO will be bold enough to contest for governorship of OSUN STATE… thr home state of the Cicero of Esa Oke one would have said its impossible… https://t.co/QWm4snB5l0

— M. Aurelius ⚜️ (@ibkzzle0) December 2, 2025

Is it true that Fryo wants to be a governor in Osun state? Hope y’all remember who that is sha?

— CALL ME GIANNA’S DAD! TRIPPLE O G (@OLUENOCH) December 3, 2025

It’s quite pathetic and calls for sober reflection that Fryo became a governor’s ally and eventually clinched a party’s ticket. The people remaining in such party should naturally be ashamed. People should be distancing themselves from that rubbish if we are serious in this… https://t.co/vnl96vCmc8

— ADEMOLA (@RajiDraj) December 2, 2025

Same Fryo that was indicted in late Bola Ige murder case??? 🙆🏾‍♂️🙆🏾‍♂️🙆🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/TxAjU0YLMN

— Abdullah (@Lanre_banjo) December 2, 2025

Fryo of all People. Nigeria is truly a crime scene. Bola Ige and family will be shaking there head. https://t.co/miQHFNpB9i

— Afọlábí (@Ahfo__) December 3, 2025

ANOTHER SUSPECT IN IGE’S MURDER WENT ON TO BECOME A MINISTER

In January 2014,  former president Goodluck Jonathan sent the names of 12 ministerial nominees to the senate for confirmation. Among those listed was Abdujelili Adesiyan, one of the three lawmakers nominated from Osun state. He was among the 13 suspects tried in court over Ige’s death.

When Adesiyan appeared before the senate for screening on February 13, the question of who killed the former attorney-general and minister of justice came up.

Ehigie Uzamere, a lawmaker from Edo South, asked Adesiyan to swear by the Qur’an if he had no hand in Ige’s death. When he was asked by the senate to state what he felt the lawmakers should know about him that was not stated in his CV, Adesiyan went emotional, denying any involvement in the assassination. He labelled the allegation as political blackmail.

“I did not kill Chief Bola Ige,” a teary Adesiyan said.

His confirmation was deferred. At the resumed screening on February 19, 2014, Olusola Adeyeye (Osun central) raised a point of order that three other senators from Osun opposed Adesiyan’s nomination. However, David Mark, then senate president, objected that the allegation could not be held against him since he was not convicted by a court. Adesiyan was eventually confirmed, and he went on to become the police affairs minister.

Reacting to Adesiyan’s emergence as a minister, Ige’s family said they were disappointed in Jonathan.

“In other climes, someone with such an allegation hanging on his neck would not think about it,” Muyiwa, one of Ige’s sons, said.

Also, in June 2014, Adesiyan openly stated that he regretted not flogging the late Isiaka Adeleke, former governor of Osun state, during a PDP stakeholders’ meeting with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osogbo.

Adeleke had alleged that Adesiyan, Iyiola Omisore — the PDP’s governorship candidate at the time — and Sogo Agboola, a retired customs officer, assaulted him at an event held a day before the party’s governorship primaries. Adesiyan denied the allegation but went on to say he wished he had beaten Adeleke as claimed. According to him, the only thing that stopped him was his position as a minister.

Switching briefly into Yoruba, Adesiyan said, “Ta lon jẹ́ ode aperin níwájú ode apẹyàn?” (Who is a killer of elephants before someone who kills human beings?) before issuing a threat that he would confront Adeleke physically once he left office.