…as Osun CP insists, “I am not aware”

Barely 10 days before the August 8 governorship election in Osun State, the campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke has accused the police of orchestrating a crackdown on opposition supporters, alleging that 86 members of the Accord Party have been arrested and detained without justification.

The Imole Campaign Council claimed the arrests were politically motivated and designed to intimidate supporters of the governor ahead of the poll, urging the Inspector-General of Police and President Bola Tinubu to intervene.

Its spokesperson, Barrister Pelumi Olajengbasi, made the allegations on Wednesday after leading members of the campaign on a visit to the headquarters of the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Abuja.

He alleged that those arrested had neither committed any offence nor had any petition lodged against them, insisting that their only offence was their affiliation with the Accord Party, which is backing Adeleke’s re-election.

He said: “In the last two to three days, over 86 members of the Accord Party have been arrested for no reason. We met with the leadership of the police, but they could not provide any explanation. There is no petition against them and no offence has been committed.”

Olajengbasi further claimed that several of the detainees had already been moved out of Osun State, saying 36 were transferred to the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Keffi, Nasarawa State, while another 14 were taken to the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory.

“These people have been taken from Osun to Abuja by road and detained unnecessarily. There is no single charge against them, no allegation and no explanation. This must not continue.”

He also alleged that the Secretary to the Osun State Government was among those arrested, claiming the official was picked up while carrying out voter sensitisation ahead of the election.

The campaign spokesman accused the Nigeria Police Force of abandoning its constitutional obligation to remain impartial during elections.

“There is a need for the Nigerian Police Force to understand that it is a government institution and must not be reduced to a partisan tool during elections. We want a free, fair and credible election where people can freely exercise their democratic rights.”

Olajengbasi further alleged that some police officers openly pressured the detainees to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The only reason they are being arrested is that they are members of the Accord Party supporting Governor Ademola Adeleke. Some officers even asked them if they were ready to join the APC. That is an embarrassment to Nigeria,” he alleged.

He maintained that allowing the current Osun State Commissioner of Police to oversee security arrangements for the election could undermine public confidence in the process.

“If the Commissioner of Police is allowed to supervise security during this election, then the election is already compromised. The Inspector-General must ensure that the police remain neutral and perform their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property,” he said.

Olajengbasi added that the conduct of security agencies before, during and after the election would be under close scrutiny by Nigerians and the international community, warning against the use of state institutions to intimidate political opponents.

When contacted, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, denied knowledge of the alleged arrests.

“I am not aware. Let me check and get back to you,” he said.

As of press time, the police commissioner had yet to provide any further clarification on the allegations.

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