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Osun APC faction protests alleged harassment, arrest of members

By Timothy Agbor, Osogbo
17 February 2022   |   2:27 am
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, loyal to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday, protested against their alleged incessant arrest and harassment by the police..

Former governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola

Demands police commissioner’s replacement

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, loyal to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, yesterday, protested against their alleged incessant arrest and harassment by the police in the state.

The faction, led by its Chairman, Rasaq Salinsile and Chairman of The Osun Progressives, Lowo Adebiyi, protested at the state command headquarters, demanding the redeployment of the Police Commissioner, Olawale Olokode.

The protesters accused the CP of playing the script of the Governor Gboyega Oyetola. Armed with placards with different inscriptions such as “Stop Playing Oyetola’s Scripts,” “Stop Sending Our People to Prison,” “We Are Tired of Your Incessant Harassment,” and many others, the Aregbesola’s loyalists warned the police to desist from being biased in handling issues relating to the internal political wrangling in the party.

They described him as a puppet in the hand of the present administration in the state and vowed to henceforth resist the oppression and further harassment on them by the police.

“It’s sad that your command has taken its bias tendencies to the highest level of calling the minister a criminal.

“It is heart-wrenching that your command has caved in totally to lucre-based influence of Governor Gboyega Oyetola and shown unbridled loyalty to him by castigating the minister by the content of a press release.

“It is a sad tale that your command, without any of your men in the minister’s convoy, concluded that the “minister brought in hoodlums to disturb the peace of the state.

“It is most sour that in your bid to play the master’s voice, your command alleged criminality against the minister who served as governor for two terms of eight years in the state and without much criminal incidences as it is rampant today.

“It will be interesting for you to let the world know how much of investigation you carried out before you arrived at your conclusion in the press release. It is certain that your Command’s position is a statement written for you from Governor Oyetola’s Okefia Government House and not a proceed of any investigation,” the members stated.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Valentine Kanayo, who attended to the factional APC members, denied that the police were biased on political issues but promised to look into their requests.

Before the protest, the police had in a press release signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, said it frowned at any form of protests under any guise even as elections are around the corner.

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