The First Lady of Osun State, Mrs Titilola Adeleke, on Monday led a group of women to the state police command headquarters in Osogbo over alleged intimidation of voters and a reported plan to arrest political leaders ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
Adeleke, accompanied by government officials, marched with the protesters from Lameco through the West Bypass to the police headquarters.
The women submitted a petition to the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duties, CP Samuel Etaifo, demanding a peaceful and credible election.
Addressing the police commissioner, Adeleke alleged that some Accord Party leaders were being targeted for arrest by opposition elements.
She cited the reported arrest of the Commissioner for Environment the previous Friday, claiming that he was subjected to degrading treatment while in police custody.
Adeleke alleged that there were plans to arrest some of the state’s political leaders during the week and said the Commissioner for Environment had been arrested the previous Friday and allegedly stripped naked while in police custody.
Responding, Etaifo assured the protesters that the police would provide a peaceful atmosphere for the election.
He said security had improved since his deployment to the state but warned political actors against actions capable of heightening tension.
Etaifo said the protest could contribute to renewed tension in the state, despite the relative peace recorded since his deployment.
The police commissioner said he was deployed to Osun on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police to stabilise the state and create an enabling environment for all political actors and voters.
He said his mandate was to stabilise the state, provide an enabling environment for every political actor to exercise their franchise and create public confidence for residents to come out and vote on election day.
Etaifo added that the command would review the protesters’ demands and adjust its security strategy where necessary.
He said the police would return to restrategise and attend to all the demands raised by the protesters.