By Kehinde Okeowo
As the death of the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, continues to create ripples in the polity, the Southern and Middle-Belt Alliance (SaMBA) has called for transparent and full investigation into the cause of his death, as well as an independent autopsy to be carried out on his body before his burial.
Mailafia, a renowned financial expert and politician, died at the Gwagwalada Hospital, Abuja, at the age of 64.
The Middle Belt Forum on Sunday alleged that he did not get the required medical attention.
SaMBA expressed great shock and sadness over the sudden death of Mailafia who they described as a relentless freedom fighter for the Indigenes of the Middle Belt.
In a statement by their spokesman, Rwang Pam Jnr., SaMBA described Mailafia as the “Martin Luther King Jr.” of Nigeria.
The statement further read: “We are shocked to hear of the demise of former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , Dr. Obadiah Mailafia this morning, of the 19th September 2021 at the National Hospital, Abuja.
“Dr. Obadiah Mailafia was a freedom fighter for the peoples of Middle Belt and all oppressed peoples across the country, he always spoke truth to people in power, at risk of his career and life.
“The late financial expert will forever be in the memory of the peoples of Southern and Middle-Belt of Nigeria for his outspokenness and courage.”
SaMBA recalled that Mailafia was invited by the Department of State Services (DSS) on September 14, 2020 for questioning over an interview he granted to a radio station in which he made a wide range of accusations against some individuals for sponsoring terrorist activities, random killings and banditry ravaging the middle belt region of Nigeria.
SaMBA further recalled that Dr. Mailafia joined partisan politics in 2018 amidst the rise of killings in Southern Kaduna.
“Despite losing the elections, he maintained his ardent stance as a government critic and severally got into trouble with the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, one of such incidences was when he alleged that a Northern Governor was a Boko Haram Commander. This caused a ripple and caused him to receive an invitation for “questioning” by the Nigeria Police Force, forcing him to recant his statement.
Regardless, in his last engagement with SAMBA on Saturday, 28th August 2021, when he spoke on the theme: Political alignment between the South and the Middle Belt towards 2023 elections via a zoom meeting hosted by Elombah Television, late Dr Mailafia expressed fear for his life but said he will not stop saying the truth.
“We therefore call for an immediate, transparent and full investigation into the cause of his death, as well as an independent autopsy to be carried out on his body before his burial.”