Open Letter to IGP, Kayode Egbetokun

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OPEN LETTER TO THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE ON OSUN STATE ELECTION, LAWLESS DETENTION AND COVER FOR ILLEGALITY

By Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq.

Mr. Inspector General of Police, Sir, for those of us who have watched public officials act reckless, destroy their names, and then erect a statue of disgrace in their honour after office, it is easy to advise you to take it easy and stay clear of partisan politics. I urge you respectfully to remember the story of Malami. Remember Tafa Balogun. Remember the long list of powerful men who thought office was immunity, only to discover that when power leaves, record remains.

When a public officer allows partisanship to stain a constitutional office, the damage is permanent. You may enjoy applause today, but history does not clap. History indicts. Malami’s tenure as Attorney General generated serious national controversy and has since been the subject of petitions, probes and public legal disputes. Tafa Balogun wore the highest police uniform and left office only to face prosecution and conviction, a permanent stain no public relations can erase.

Mr. Inspector General, you are one of the most educated Inspector General of Police, but your name can be ruined the same way. You can arrest. You can detain. You can intimidate. You can imprison. But you cannot arrest, detain, intimidate or imprison public memory. It will be your story.

The Constitution is clear. The right to life is guaranteed. The dignity of the human person is guaranteed. Personal liberty is guaranteed. Fair hearing is guaranteed. Freedom of speech is guaranteed. These are not decorative words. They are binding commands to every authority and every security agency.

The Police Act reinforces this duty by requiring the Police to prevent and detect crime while protecting rights and freedoms in line with the Constitution and the African Charter. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act sets a lawful framework for arrest, custody procedures, record keeping and detention controls so that detention does not become punishment. The Anti-Torture Act criminalises torture and rejects every excuse for it, including superior orders or operational convenience.

This is why what is happening in Osun State is alarming. The Police is now widely perceived as political in Osun. Arrests and detentions increasingly appear selective, punitive, and aimed at intimidation rather than public safety. Detention is being used as a political tool. Bail is being turned into punishment. Citizens are being picked up and held in circumstances that offend constitutional safeguards and the criminal justice framework.

Mr. Inspector General, the Nigeria Police Force is not a party structure. It is a constitutional institution. The moment the Police begins to pick sides, legitimacy collapses and lawlessness grows. It also exposes the Force and its leadership to future inquiries, judicial sanctions, and personal liability. When public power is exercised for improper purpose, the law calls it abuse of power. When liberty is curtailed without lawful basis, the law calls it unlawful detention. When force is used to punish, degrade, or extract compliance, the law calls it cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and in many cases torture.

It is not enough for the Police to claim it is maintaining order. Order without law is oppression. Policing must be evidence led, neutral, and accountable. The Police must never provide cover for illegality in Osun State, whether the illegality is committed by those in government or those outside it. Where the Police covers illegality, it becomes an accomplice. Where it detains without basis, it becomes the offender. Where it serves partisan interests, it becomes politically captured.

I therefore call on you to act immediately and restore neutrality and professionalism to the work of the Police in Osun State.

Mr. Inspector General, this is not an appeal, it is a warning grounded in law and in history. Tafa Balogun learned that uniform cannot shield a stained record. Many others who once felt untouchable learned the same lesson in the court of law and the court of public conscience. Do not add your name to that list.

Step back from politics. Return the Police in Osun State to constitutional policing. Protect the credibility of the Force. Protect your name while you still can. A tenure can end in applause, but a record can last forever.

May God see you through.

Pelumi Olajengbesi is a Legal Practitioner.