Police investigate alleged self-kidnapping of Adeleke’s media aide — Spokesperson
By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo
The Osun State Government has said the police are investigating the alleged self-kidnapping of one of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s media aides, Shakirulahi Babatunde.
The government also dismissed reports alleging that the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, and other top government officials were attempting to stop the police from investigating the matter.
The Spokesperson to the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying the government had no reason to interfere with the investigation.
Rasheed said an incident report was lodged with the police immediately after the media aide sent a text message claiming that he had been kidnapped.
According to him, the matter was subsequently reported to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Osun State Police Command, which commenced investigation into the incident.
He said the development was evidence that the state government was willing to allow the appropriate law enforcement authorities to establish what actually happened.
“It was therefore falsehood from the pit of hell to assert that the Chief of Staff or any state official was trying to prevent the police from conducting investigation into a matter which the state government originally reported to the police service,” Rasheed said.
The spokesperson also denied allegations that government officials attempted to bribe the police to suppress the investigation.
“We categorically deny the fake news that there were attempts by the state officials to bribe the police to sweep the matter under the carpet. Such reports are unfounded and baseless conjectures,” he said.
Rasheed further said that no government official had attempted to bribe the police and that the police had not received any money from state officials to stop or influence the investigation.
“The police are currently investigating the matter while the state government is also waiting for the outcome of the investigation for further action,” he said.
He called on members of the public to disregard what he described as misinformation aimed at tarnishing the image of state officials and the police, stressing that the relevant police units were already investigating the matter.
Rasheed said Governor Adeleke and other senior government officials remained committed to transparency and the rule of law, adding that no government official would attempt to prevent law enforcement agencies from carrying out their duties.