Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Monday chided the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gothan, over the arrest and detention of one of his media aides, Abiodun Adegoke Apesin.

Besides, he asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to call Gothan to order over what he described as the arrest and unlawful detention of people in the state.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke demanded the immediate release of Apesin, who he said had been repeatedly denied bail over a defamation petition affecting the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji.

He contended that the continuous detention of Adegoke is a breach of his fundamental human rights, especially as the subject of the petition from the APC and its candidate is a non-capital offence which is bailable under the Nigerian law.

Expressing dismay that the affected aide would be denied bail on two separate occasions despite compliance with the conditions set by the police, including the production of Level 10 and Level 12 officials, Adeleke described the development as “an unacceptable” act of partisan conduct by the state police command.

While calling on the IGP to direct the Commissioner to order immediate and unconditional release of Mr Adegoke, the governor cautioned the police against becoming a tool in the hands of political players, as it would undermine peace and security of the state.

According to the statement, “One of my aides, Mr Adegoke, has been detained for more than five days now. He has not been charged in court, and he has been refused bail on two occasions. That is a fundamental breach of the law and the Constitution.

“The Osun Police Command seem to be losing every sense of professionalism since Mr Gothan resumed as CP in Osun. Police now detain for as long as they want without granting bail or charging suspects to court, and in most cases, the abuse of the rights of citizens is based on the verbal petition or instructions of opposition political leaders.

“I therefore demand unconditional and immediate release of Mr Adegoke and an end to the systematic harassment of my media aides who are functioning within the confines of the law and the constitution. Before Mr Adegoke, another one of my aides, Mr. Iyiola Monsuru, was detained. Both of them were arrested without the Police extending a formal invitation to them.

“The police command should not give the impression or conduct itself in ways and manners that will mark it as serving the political interest of APC and its chieftains. The police should be impartial and non-partisan and serve the interest of all Nigerians within the confers of the law”, the governor was quoted as saying, ” the statement concluded.