THISDAYonline

Worried by what he considered threats to his life, Mr. Muyiwa Ige, the eldest son of the slain former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, late last week left the country with his wife and children.

Although the details were still largely unknown yesterday, Sir Dele Ige, the younger brother of late Bola Ige confirmed that Muyiwa has travelled out of the country.

Muyiwa, at a family meeting last week, had narrated how he had been noticing strange persons trailing his car around Ibadan city in recent times.

Sources said he noted that unknown persons also hung around him at certain "joints" within the city.

It was gathered that his apprehensions over his safety became all the more animated when the police authorities reportedly withdrew the security attached to the Iges shortly after the death and burial of Ige's widow, Justice Atinuke Ige.

At a family meeting in the Bodija residence of Sir Dele Ige, the family was said to have taken a cursory review of the events at the trial of the murder suspects and expressed disgust at the VIP treatment accorded to Otunba Iyiola Omisore, the prime suspect in the murder case.

Beside that worry was the report of "insecurity to life" which Muyiwa had reported.

The family was said to have been unanimous in arriving at the decision that the safest thing to do in the circumstance was to first get Muyiwa out of the country and then discontinue with the case.

Although family members of the Iges will not discuss or explain their actions and decisions, close sources to the family noted that the family was persuaded by the reasoning that "pursuing the case further will lead them nowhere having lost father and mother."

Justice Atinuke died last April 10 shortly after the lead witness, Mr. Anthony Olofu, said he will no longer be able to identify the killers of Bola Ige.

But Muyiwa was said to have expressed disgust at the way and manner the case has so far been handled, the height of which was the election of Omisore, his release on bail and his eventual inauguration as a senator last June 3.

The family had decided to allow Muyiwa to quietly leave the country first before announcing its withdrawal from the case.

Muyiwa, an architect, is believed to have fled to the United States of America with his wife and son.

Although Dele Ige will not expatiate, he did not deny that the police authorities had withdrawn security apparatus from them.

"If they (the police) like, let them deny it (withdrawal of security men from the Iges), but we have said what we need to say."

Sources close to Muyiwa informed that he has vowed to remain in exile until the Obasanjo administration serves out its second term.

The source noted that the family has expressed immediate and "urgent concern on the matter because, Muyiwa, as the heir apparent of the Ige's stands the very risk of being on the hit-list of his father's killers."

The source added: "If his father and mother could die, just like that, with no visible hope of finding their killers why take the risk of losing one's life in attempting to find the killers of one's parents."

Last Thursday, the surviving Iges, Mrs. Funsho Adegbola (nee Ige) - Ige's eldest daughter and Dele, have become most cautious and circumspect of their movement and faces around them.

In the statement the duo (Dele and Funsho) issued last Monday, they described the "immoral perfidy" which the trial of Omisore and 11 others in connection with the murder of Bola Ige have been treated.

They expressed regret that such a high-profile trial of the murder of a top government official has been reduced to a "political theatre".

It accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other top government officials of manipulating the judicial pro-cess to accord Omisore some special, but undeserved treatments.