Concerns have been raised about the alleged lack of neutrality of the police following the arrests of leaders of the Accord Party in Osun state on the orders of the state Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Gotan.
The spokesman of the Imole Campaign Council working for the reelection of Governor Adeleke, Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, on Saturday decried the arrests of the state Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Hon. Mayowa Adejoorin, and 60 Accord members across the state, including Ijesaland, by the Osun State Police Command.
He said the action was meant to silence Accord leaders and compromise the August 15 governorship election.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo, he called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tunji Disu, to urgently intervene in the situation in Osun State.
He also drew the attention of Nigerians, the international community and the leadership of the Nigerian Police Force to the disturbing and increasingly dangerous pattern of arrests, intimidation and incessant abduction of leaders and members of the Accord Party, particularly across Ijesaland.
According to him, “The latest victim of this alarming pattern is the state Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Hon Mayowa Adejoorin, a prominent native of Ikiyinwa in Obokun Local Government Area of the state. ”
Olajengbesi added that the manner of his arrest was particularly disturbing.
He said, “We consider what happened to Hon Adejoorin nothing short of a bandit-line abduction carried out under the cover of police authority.”
“For some time now, we have witnessed a disturbing pattern in which prominent Accord leaders and supporters in Ijesaland are picked up by the Police on allegations that are apparently motivated by sinister political calculations, kept away from their families, communities and campaign activities, and thereby removed from circulation at a critical period of the electoral process.”
In a separate statement issued and made available by the Chairman, Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the council, Hon. Bamidele Sallam, the campaign council, specifically accused CP Gotan of defying the directive of the IG that all police officers should be non-partisan.
The campaign council alleged that since the arrival of the new police Commissioner in charge of the election, the substantive CP, Gotan, has been running a parallel police structure which he has deployed alongside APC thugs to molest Accord Party leaders.
