There is disquiet in Osun State as the State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the state government trade words over the alleged protection of the Amotekun Corps Commander, Isaac Adekunle Omoyele, following the recent killings at Akinlalu town.
In a statement issued on Sunday, by Kola Olabisi, its Director of Media and Information, the APC called on Governor Ademola Adeleke to demonstrate his commitment to justice and the rule of law by producing the Corps Commander for police investigation.
The party alleged that Omoyele was being shielded from arrest in connection with the Akinlalu incident.
The statement accused the governor of aiding a suspect by allowing him to remain in hiding at the Government House, Osogbo.
“If the news flying around in Osogbo that Omoyele has been hibernating in the Government House to evade police arrest is anything to go by, it is condemnable and irresponsible,” the party said.
The APC maintained that handing over the Amotekun commander to the police would prove that Governor Adeleke was not paying lip service to his public commitment to justice.
“As a self-acclaimed patriot and believer in the rule of law, Governor Adeleke should, without further delay, hand over the commander for a thorough investigation into the Akinlalu killings,” the statement added.
The opposition party while describing the incident as a national embarrassment and insisted that the state government must not be seen as providing cover for a suspect in a case involving loss of lives, it also warned against turning the Government House into a refuge for a suspected criminal.
However, the state governor, Ademola Adeleke through the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, dismissed the APC’s allegations, describing them as baseless and politically motivated.
Rasheed said Governor Adeleke would not interfere with the ongoing police investigation.
In a counter-statement on Sunday, the spokesperson stated that the police, under the direction of the Inspector General of Police, had already taken charge of the investigation into the Akinlalu killings.
“The Akinlalu matter is a question of law and order, and the Inspector General of Police has acted on the matter. The police are conducting an active investigation. Our government will not intervene or interfere,” he said.
Rasheed warned against politicising the tragedy, urging residents and political actors to allow due process to run its course.
“We should allow due process to take its cause without let or hindrance,” he stated.
He accused the APC of exploiting the incident for political gain, alleging that the opposition was spreading misinformation to destabilise the state.
“The opposition’s allegations are unfounded and baseless. The Osun APC, in want of direction and strategy, has grown to be a constant purveyor of fake news,” Rasheed said.
The spokesperson added that Governor Adeleke’s administration remained focused on good governance and would not succumb to what he termed political blackmail.
“We will not surrender to a party that is more interested in destabilising the state than delivering on good governance,” the statement added.
