Bola Ige Daughter’s, Funsho Adegbola Shares Her Dreams Before Her Father Was Killed
Funsho Adegbola has shared her poignant recollections of the events surrounding the tragic assassination of her father, Chief Bola Ige, Nigeria’s former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, who was killed at his home in Ibadan on December 23, 2001.
In a heartfelt interview on State Affairs with renowned broadcaster Edmund Obilo, Adegbola opened up about the disturbing premonitions she experienced before her father’s death. She revealed a troubling dream in which she was dressed in black, mourning. Distressed by this vision, she confided in her father, who reassured her, saying, “Nobody can kill me; my life is in God’s hands.”
She also recounted a peculiar moment at the late Ooni of Ife’s palace, where her father’s cap was inexplicably removed during a ceremony. “In all my years of politics, nobody has ever removed my cap,” Ige told her after the incident.
Adegbola remembered her father’s humility, recalling how, during his tenure as Minister of Power and Steel, he had returned 16 official cars, explaining, “I can’t maintain more than two cars.” She also shared how a close associate, Kema Chikwe, was taken aback by the simplicity of their home’s security, noting the basic wooden doors.
Despite the growing threats against him, Ige remained spiritually grounded. Adegbola recalled telling him, “Daddy, it seems like something is going to happen to you,” to which he calmly responded, “I am surrounded by the White Light of Christ, through which no evil can penetrate.”
Adegbola linked the rising political tensions of the time, particularly involving Iyiola Omisore, the Deputy Governor of Osun State, to the threats against her father. “There were major political upheavals in Osun State then, and the atmosphere was charged with tension,” she said.
The family’s grief was compounded by the failure to bring those responsible for Ige’s murder to justice. Adegbola expressed the deep pain her mother, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, endured. “It was a cruel irony that shattered her spirit,” she said.
In her memoir He Gave Me Wings, Adegbola emphasized her father’s enduring legacy of integrity and conviction, quoting his belief that, “Anything worth living for is worth dying for.” She concluded by reflecting on Ige’s exemplary leadership, noting that, while justice for his assassination remains elusive, his life continues to serve as a powerful testament to principled leadership.
