From Molly Kilete, Abuja

THE Nigerian Police Force Headquarters, yesterday, said it has not received a presi­dential directive to re-open the murder case of former At­torney General of the Federa­tion and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige.

The police also denied that the Inspector General of Po­lice (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, initi­ated moves to reopen the case of the deceased former Attor­ney General to restore public confidence in the police.

The media has been awashed with reports of the decision of President Muham­madu Buhari to reopen the case of the late Ige, who was killed in his Bodija, Ibadan residence on December 23, 2001.

Individuals and groups had applauded the president’s de­cision to reopen the case to bring the perpetrators to jus­tice.

But, in a swift reaction, the police said the report was not true and described it as the imagination of the writers as the Force Headquarters had not got any such directive.

Force Public Relations Offi­cer, Don Awunah, who made this known in an interview with Daily Sun, in Abuja, also said it was not true that the IGP has set up an investigative panel to re-examine all avail­able evidence in the murder case with a view to commenc­ing prosecution of suspects.

Awunah said the case, which is in court was not closed in the first place to war­rant the IGP’s order that it be reopen.

“Nobody has given the IGP directive to reopen the murder case of chief Bola Ige, as far as the police author­ity is concerned. The IGP has also not initiated any move or plans to reopen the case, neither did he set up any in­vestigative panel to arrest and prosecute the suspects. I can tell you that these are all spec­ulations and imaginations of those that initiated the rumor. The case was charged to court and state can proceed on  anytime.”