Adeleke and Oyetola
……APC commends police professionalism
Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused the Osun State Commissioner of Police of taking instructions from the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, to arrest members of the Accord Party and transfer them to Abuja without filing charges.
Adeleke made the allegation on Thursday while addressing the Peace Summit on the Osun governorship election, where he appealed to the National Peace Committee to intervene in what he described as increasing police intimidation and violence against his administration and party members.
The governor said he attended the peace meeting out of respect for the peace leaders despite considering a boycott because of the violence allegedly unleashed on Osun State in the last few months.
He alleged that his government and supporters had been under siege and attacks for the past three months, accusing the Osun APC and the Osun State Police Command of waging what he described as police-backed violence and intimidation against his people.
Adeleke urged the peace leaders to help stop what he called a progression towards genocide in Osun State.
He disclosed that eight Accord members had been killed in the last three months, while more than 20 others sustained gunshot injuries, adding that no prosecution or arrest had been made despite the availability of video evidence.
The governor also alleged that more than 60 Accord members were being detained by the police without being charged to court.
He added that the Secretary to the State Government was arrested on what he described as trumped-up charges and detained overnight after his residence was raided without a court-authorised search warrant.
According to him, top government officials were being harassed, while more than 60 Accord leaders, including the party’s House of Representatives candidate, Hon. Alaba, had been arrested, moved to Abuja and remanded in prisons in Abuja and Nasarawa State.
Adeleke questioned the legal basis upon which the Commissioner of Police allegedly took instructions from Oyetola to arrest Accord members and transfer them outside Osun State without arraignment.
He also questioned why the suspects were being taken to Abuja when both the Federal High Court and State High Courts exist in Osun State.
The governor appealed to the National Peace Committee to prevail on the Inspector General of Police to return all those in police custody and ensure that anyone accused of an offence was charged before competent courts in Osun State.
Adeleke further alleged that the leader of APC thugs recently took over garages and motor parks across the state with police support.
He also alleged that there was an active plot to kill and maim residents before, during and after the August 15 governorship election.
The governor appealed to the peace committee to interface with President Bola Tinubu to stop Oyetola, the Osun APC and the Osun State Commissioner of Police from unleashing further violence on the people of the state.
He also called for an end to what he described as an unholy alliance between the police and APC thugs, urging the police authorities to emulate other security agencies, which he said had remained professional and impartial.
Adeleke reaffirmed his commitment to peaceful elections, insisting that his supporters had refused to retaliate despite the alleged attacks because of their belief in the rule of law.
He called for impartial policing, a fair electoral process and the supremacy of the people’s will at the polls, adding that Osun people were ready to vote in the August 15 governorship election.
However, while addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday, the Head of Media and Publicity of the APC Governorship Campaign Council, Remi Omowaiye, alleged that Governor Adeleke, despite failing to protect the lives and property of residents, was mounting pressure on the police to release Abbey Ashipa, whom he claimed was wanted over the alleged murder of no fewer than 20 people in Osun State.
Omowaiye further alleged that Abbey Ashipa had been linked to the killings of Sheriff Oyewale, Muraina Olayiwola, popularly known as “Montanna”, Waheed “My Friend”, Tajudeen Rabiu, Ismahil Dudu, Kazeem Oyebamiji, also known as “Mosquito”, and other APC supporters.
He urged residents of the state to prevail on Governor Adeleke to desist from allegedly harbouring criminals, maintaining that such actions amounted to an assault on the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
According to him, any government genuinely committed to peace and security should not be seen obstructing lawful investigations or shielding anyone from accountability.
Omowaiye maintained that if Governor Adeleke was not aiding criminality in the state, he should immediately relieve Igbalaye of his appointment following the arrest of a wanted suspect at his residence.
He also urged the governor to cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies and allow ongoing investigations to proceed without interference, while alleging that a genuinely popular governor would not require the services of individuals he described as political thugs to secure electoral victory.
The APC campaign spokesman, however, commended officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, Osun State Command, and the Inspector General of Police Special Squad for what he described as their professionalism and commitment to ridding the state of criminals and assassins.
