The Osun State government, on Wednesday raised the alarm over the police raid on the residence of Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, and six other commissioners in the cabinet of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

 

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, condemned the incident, saying the Police invasion of SSG and cabinet members’ without a search warrant was unwarranted and anti democratic.

 

He disclosed that the SSG’s residence was bursted by a combined team of police officers led by the Deputy Commissioner, in charge of operations, who whisked Igbalaye family members away to an unknown destination.

 

The statement reads, “The gestapo operations on the SSG residence followed a similar raid and arrest at the residences of about six commissioners and other top functionaries of the government.

 

“As at the time the SSG house was invaded, his ward officials were holding meeting within the compound while the SSG himself was attending the stakeholders forum organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

“The police had yesterday (Tuesday) raided the residence of the Commissioner for Energy at Ikire, ransacking the building and destroying several properties. Five other commissioners have reported their houses being shadowed and others bursted even when nothing illegal happened in their abodes, “Alimi stated.

 

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations (PPRO) of Osun State Police Command, Biodun Ojelabi, said “it is true that based on intelligence the house of SSG was raided by police operatives and six persons were arrested with exhibits.

 

“Four of them have been screened and we discovered that they were not involved, they will be released. That is all I can say for now, “he stated.

 

The Commissioner further lamented that “following several raids and arrests, reports at the disposal of the government indicated that several Accord members are languishing in CID cells at the State Command without being granted bail.

 

“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 grave danger to democracy. It is a reprehensible unprofessional conduct by the police in support of the state APC.

 

“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 Osun APC. This is a law enforcement agency becoming lawless and acting against the spirit and letters of the constitution.

 

“These grave violations of the constitution and basic rights of the government and people of Osun state come as the national chairman of INEC is meeting stakeholders. The police has become a major threat to the conduct of free and fair election in Osun state.

 

“We again call the attention of our traditional rulers, the Nigeria Police Service, the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to this escalation of targeted violence against top government officials and Accord members in Osun state. This must be stopped before it escalate into general breakdown of law and order, “Alimi cautioned.