Osun Govt Raises Alarm Over Alleged Police Raids on Official’s Homes
By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo
The Osun State Government has accused the Nigeria Police Force of carrying out coordinated raids on the residences of top government officials, describing the operations as a threat to democracy and the peaceful conduct of the forthcoming governorship election.
The government alleged that the latest operation targeted the residence of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), where a team of police officers reportedly conducted a raid on Wednesday.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the government said the operation was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations.
According to the statement, family members of the SSG were taken away by the police to an undisclosed location during the raid, while the SSG was attending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ forum.
The government also claimed that ward officials were holding a meeting within the SSG’s residence when the police arrived.
Alimi said the operation followed similar raids on the residences of about six commissioners and other senior officials of the state government.
He alleged that police operatives had earlier stormed the residence of the Commissioner for Energy in Ikire, where they searched the premises and damaged property.
The commissioner further claimed that several other commissioners had reported that their homes were either placed under surveillance or invaded by security operatives despite the absence of any criminal activity.
The statement also alleged that several members of the Accord Party were being detained at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Osun State Police Command without being granted bail.
Describing the operations as an attack on democratic governance, Alimi said, “These raids on the SSG and our commissioners are an aggravated assault on the government and people of Osun State. This campaign of repression constitutes a grave danger to democracy. It is a reprehensible and unprofessional conduct by the police in support of the state APC.”
He further alleged that the conduct of the police demonstrated political bias.
“By openly launching attacks on Osun government officials, the state police command has again confirmed its partiality, its partisanship and its becoming a direct tool in the hands of the Osun APC. This is a law enforcement agency becoming lawless and acting against the spirit and letters of the Constitution,” he said.
The commissioner expressed concern that the alleged raids coincided with INEC’s stakeholders’ engagement ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
“These grave violations of the Constitution and the fundamental rights of the government and people of Osun State are taking place while the national leadership of INEC is engaging stakeholders. The police have become a major threat to the conduct of a free, fair and credible election in Osun State,” he stated.
Alimi called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Nigeria Police Service, the National Security Adviser, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and traditional rulers in the state to intervene.
“We call on our traditional rulers, the Nigeria Police Service, the Inspector-General of Police, the National Security Adviser and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in what appears to be an escalation of targeted actions against top government officials and Accord members in Osun State. This must be stopped before it degenerates into a breakdown of law and order,” he said.
The commissioner added that Governor Ademola Adeleke had consistently appealed to residents to remain peaceful despite the situation.
“Our governor has consistently urged the people to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands. The situation is becoming increasingly tense, and every effort must be made to protect our democracy from those undermining the rule of law,” Alimi said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Osun State Police Command had not responded to the allegations contained in the government’s statement.