Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has alleged that more than 60 Accord Party leaders were arrested and transferred to prisons in Abuja and Nasarawa despite the existence of federal and state courts in Osun.
The governor made the allegation on Thursday at a peace summit in Osogbo ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
According to a statement posted on his X page, Adeleke said his government and supporters had been “under siege and attacks for the past three months” and accused former governor and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, of being behind the violence.
“I should have boycotted this peace meeting because of the violence unleashed on Osun State in the last few months, on the directive of Gboyega Oyetola,” he said.
“Our gathering is to endorse peace but my government and people are facing police-sanctioned violence and intimidation.”
Adeleke also accused the Osun police command of supporting attacks on his supporters.
“More than 60 Accord leaders have been arrested and moved to Abuja, and remanded in Abuja prisons and Nasarawa State prisons, including an Accord candidate for House of Representatives, Hon Alaba,” he said.
“Why Abuja? We have both the Federal High Court and State High Courts in Osun State, where anyone can be arraigned.”
The governor further alleged that the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, was arrested on “trumped up charges” after police raided his residence without a court-authorised warrant.
Adeleke said eight party members had been killed and more than 20 injured in recent attacks, adding that no suspect had been prosecuted.
“There is no single prosecution or active arrest till date. The perpetrators are known Osun APC thugs with crimes committed in the presence of the police,” he said.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police to return those in custody to Osun and charge them in courts within the state if any offence had been committed.
“Those remanded in prisons should be returned to Osun State, and be charged to courts in Osun State, if the police can show that they have committed any crime,” he said.
Adeleke also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to caution Oyetola and the Osun commissioner of police against “unleashing further violence on the people”.
The allegations come after police arrested Igbalaye and five others over alleged vote-buying. Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said N4.8 million and other electoral materials were recovered from a residence linked to the SSG.
Political tension has intensified in Osun ahead of the governorship election, with Accord and APC supporters exchanging accusations and verbal attacks.
(c) NAN
