The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the state commissioner of police, Mr Patrick Kehinde Longe, of taking sides with the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the State.
The Chairman of the Party, Tajudeen Lawal said the police has been delaying action in arresting, investigating and prosecuting the leaders and members of the PDP who according to him, have been attacking, maiming and killing the APC members and their supporters in the state.
Lawal stated that one attribute of the Osun State PDP handlers is that they would be the ones attacking and killing our members and at the same time be the ones complaining.
The State APC chairman recalled several occasions that the thuggery-driven PDP leaders had openly boasted and threatened to deal with the APC members in which were captured in audio and visual recordings in the social media without the police taking any known action to bring the suspects to book. This, he noted, appears to have emboldened such individuals to carry out the attack.
Lawal explained further that an APC member in Ikire, Mr Saheed Oyegunju, who was abducted by some political thugs on the directive of Mr Lere Oyewumi, the PDP candidate for Osun West Senatorial District, in the broad daylight in the town about a week ago, was later found dead in the outskirt of the town while the principal suspect in the murder case, Oyewumi, is still moving freely in the state.
He also recalled that the APC members were attacked in Ile-Ife, Ede, Ila-Orangun, Osogbo and some other principal towns and villages in the state by the PDP thugs with attendant destruction of their properties. Yet, no action was taken by the Police.
Lawal disclosed that of particular reference is the Atakumosa-East Local Government Council Area of the state where almost all the APC members in the constituency have been run out of the local government by the PDP thugs who were said to be working for the party’s House of Representatives’ candidate, Sanya Omirin.
He recalled that the immediate-past state commissioner for works and transport who doubles as the Osun State spokesman for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Engr Remi Omowaiye, had been attacked with his supporters by the PDP thugs about three times with his Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Office in Ilesa destroyed together with some vehicles.
According to Lawal, the Chief of Staff to the serving Speaker of the state House of Assembly was seriously injured with broken bottles by some PDP thugs in Ilesa about three weeks ago for no just cause while the known suspects have been moving freely in the ancient town without being arrested by the police.
The state APC chairman disclosed that peace has taken flight from the hitherto most peaceful state in Nigeria since the sacked Governor Adeleke’s administration was inaugurated in the state on November 27, 2022.
He hinted that there is hardly a week that there are no reported cases of extra-judicial killings of innocent people in the state by the PDP killer squad who have been operating in Osogbo in particular and the whole state in general unhindered.
Lawal disclosed further that it is no longer news that the sacked Governor Adeleke Ede home has since become a refuge for dangerous and notorious thugs who terrorise, harass, attack and kill some innocent members of the opposition in the state.
In his words: “Why has it been difficult for the police to arrest Sanya Omirin, Lere Oyewumi, Clement Akanni Olorunwa, Adesina Rabiu Atanda(ARA), Sarafa Awotunde a.k.a. ‘Spain’, all PDP chieftains in Osun State who have been inciting their members and hoodlums to attack, maim and kill the APC members and their supporters?
“The leadership of the police in Osun State is giving a room for us, the APC members and leaders, to suspect and conclude that the police has been doing the bidding of the PDP and Adeleke in the state.
“Let me state here that immediately the current commissioner of police was transferred to Osun State to replace the one who was yet to spend two months, the members and leaders of the PDP went into a wild jubilation, saying that: ‘Yes, we are happy that our man has resumed as the state CP’, which was a loaded statement.
“The long and short of my political sermon is that the leadership of the Osun State Police Command should maintain visible and verifiable neutrality in the discharge of the statutory duties of policing at all times especially during this critical period in the history of the state.
“The allegations of violence levelled against the APC members by the leadership of the PDP in the state should be discountenanced as lacking in substance and fact but frivolous borne out of desperation merely orchestrated by the PDP leadership to cage the opposition in the state, thereby creating non-level play ground for genuine politics and politicking to thrive”, the Osun State APC chairman stated.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Yemisi Opalola the police in the State has been protecting all residents regardless of their political affiliations, adding that they exhibit no bias against anyone or Party.
She said the police was also accused of such during the last administration, when the opposition Party and some aggrieved members of ruling party also accused former Commissioner of Police, Olowale Olokode of bias against them, which according to her were just “unfounded allegations”.
“We’re never biased. We protect everyone regardless of their political party affiliations. We work with every stakeholders in the State. You will recall that this was how members of opposition and some aggrieved members of the then ruling parties accused former CP Olawale Olokode of bias. But at the end of the day, they were just unfounded allegations.
“Police in Osun will continue to be diligent and professional in its conduct.” Opalola said.
