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TICC Kicks as Police Arrest Osun Commissioner for Environment
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• Says Police Arrests In Ijesaland a Plot To Silence Accord Leaders
The Imole Campaign Council has condemned the arrest of Hon Mayowa Adejoorin, the Commissioner for Environment in Osun State reportedly linked to the Police, describing it as a plot to silence Accord leaders in the state.
Pelumi Olajengbesi, the Spokesperson of the council, stated this while addressing a Press Conference at the Imole Media Centre on Saturday, in Osogbo, the Osun state capital.
He added that the manner of arrest is particularly disturbing while describing the arrest of Hon Adejoorin as nothing short of a bandit-line abduction carried out under the cover of police authority.
Olajengbesi called on the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu to reign in on Osun Police Command and especially the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gothan while adding that the Accord leaders and members will not be intimidated, saying that the will of the people can not be arrested.
He said, “We have called this press conference today to draw the attention of Nigerians, the international community and, most importantly, 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.
“The latest victim of this alarming pattern is the Honourable Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Hon Mayowa Adejoorin, a prominent native of Ikiyinwa in Obokun Local Government Area of the state.
“The manner of his arrest is particularly disturbing. 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.
“We have seen this pattern repeatedly. And today, we are compelled to ask: What exactly is the objective of these arrests? The answer, from the pattern before us, appears increasingly obvious.
“The APC is desperate in Ijesaland. And rather than face the people in a free, fair and competitive election, there is a growing concern that these rejected political actors may be seeking to weaken the Accord Party’s structures by removing its leaders from the field.
“We are therefore deeply concerned that these arrests may be connected to an attempt to create an environment conducive to electoral manipulation in Ijesaland ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
“Let us be clear: you cannot remove our leaders from circulation and expect the people of Ijesaland to remain silent. You cannot arrest one leader today, another tomorrow, and another the next day, and ask us to believe that all these incidents are mere coincidences.
“There is a pattern. And the pattern must stop. We are particularly concerned about the alleged role of the Osun State Police Command under the leadership of Mr Ibrahim Gotan. The Police must not become an instrument for political coup by enemies of the state
“The Nigeria Police Force belongs to the Nigerian people. It does not belong to the APC. It does not belong to Accord. It does not belong to PDP. It does not belong to any candidate or political godfather. Its duty is to protect the law and guarantee the safety of every citizen, regardless of political affiliation.
“We therefore call directly on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Tunde Disu, to urgently intervene in the situation in Osun State.
“Mr Inspector-General, the buck stops at your table.
We call on you to rein in the Osun State Police Command and Mr Gottan in particular and immediately investigate the disturbing pattern of arrests involving Accord leaders, particularly in Ijesaland.
“We demand answers. On what basis was Hon Mayowa Adejoorin arrested? What offence has he committed?
What evidence exists against him? Why was his arrest carried out in such a manner? And why does the Police appear increasingly willing to deploy its powers only against Accord political leaders at this critical moment in our democratic process?
“We demand the immediate release of Hon Mayowa Adejoorin, as we believe, there is no lawful and credible basis for his abduction and detention.
“Let me also make this clear to the Police command and to the frustrated APC leaders who are sponsoring these actions: The Accord will not be intimidated. You may arrest our leaders. But you cannot arrest the will of the people.
“The people of Ijesaland have the constitutional right to choose who governs them, and that right must not be undermined through arbitrary arrests or the abuse of security institutions.
“We therefore call on the Independent National Electoral Commission, civil society organisations, election observers and all Nigerians committed to democracy to pay particular attention to developments in Ijesaland in the days leading to the August 15 election.
“We call on INEC to ensure that every duly accredited political party and its agents are allowed to participate fully in the electoral process without intimidation, as this is the pursuit of the troubled APC.
“And we call on the Police leadership to demonstrate, by its actions, that the Nigerian Police Force is a professional institution committed to democracy and the rule of law.
“Finally, let me say this to the people of Ijesaland:
Do not be afraid. The attempt to create fear is itself an admission that those behind these actions are afraid of the people.”
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