Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has condemned the killing of a 14-year-old boy in Ilobu, Osun State.
Governor Adeleke also alleged that the incident occurred in the presence of police officers, describing it as evidence of growing police complicity in political violence across parts of the state.
In a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor also criticised the police for allegedly providing protection to sacked local government chairmen of the All Progressives Congress, APC, insisting that the rule of law and constitutional provisions must prevail in the state.
Adeleke expressed sympathy to the family of the deceased teenager and called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of individuals allegedly involved in the attack.
Describing the incident as disturbing, the governor questioned why police officers at the scene allegedly failed to prevent the killing and urged the Osun State Police Command to apprehend a suspect he identified as Saheed Tanfeani.
“This killing is the worst example of police complicity. This re-confirms a pattern of police indulgence of Osun APC political thugs who move around towns with guns and regular gunshots in the air,” Adeleke said.
He alleged that the police had failed to curb attacks and harassment allegedly carried out by political thugs against residents and supporters of the Accord party in some communities.
“The State Police Command is daily demonstrating reprehensible open bias and unacceptable partisan support for the Osun APC. There are even reports that some police officials accompany AMBO thugs in their daily operations,” the governor stated.
He said his administration had lodged several petitions with the Inspector-General of Police and the Presidency over rising insecurity and political violence in the state.
Adeleke alleged that the police command was currently providing protection for APC local government chairmen who had been removed from office by the courts, claiming that security personnel had been stationed at council secretariats to prevent elected Peoples Democratic Party officials from assuming office.
“Mobile policemen are deployed to council secretariats to protect court-sacked, tenureless APC operatives, preventing duly elected PDP council chairmen and councillors from accessing the secretariats,” he said.
The governor described the deployment as an abuse of police powers and warned that continued disregard for judicial pronouncements could threaten democratic governance and public order in the state.
“We alert Mr President that our people have been pushed to the wall. Failure of the police to enforce the law can force citizens to resort to self-help. We must respect the rule of law, the Electoral Act and the Constitution,” Adeleke added.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command has launched a manhunt for suspected hoodlums following the killing of a 14-year-old boy identified as Ezekiel Olapade and the injury of another person during a shooting incident near the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat, Ilobu.
The police also revealed that the deceased Olapade, was reportedly struck by a stray bullet when armed men opened fire close to the council secretariat on Sunday afternoon.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Abiodun Ojelabi, said officers had commenced investigations and were intensifying efforts to apprehend the prime suspect, identified as Saheed, popularly known as “Tanfeani”, alongside others believed to have participated in the attack.
