Nigerian lawmaker Bamidele Salam has condemned the police for their handling of an incident involving a local government worker in Osun State. The worker, Taiwo Adebayo, was allegedly caught trying to leave the secretariat with files containing documents. Salam, who represents the Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo federal constituency, says Adebayo was on lawful duty after the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) directed staff to resume work following an 11‑month strike. According to Salam, Adebayo was detained and publicly humiliated by the police, an act he described as unconstitutional.
Salam further alleged that former council chairman Issa Akinwale—who had been removed by court judgments—supervised the incident with police backing. Similar police involvement in local government secretariats across Osun State has raised concerns about the force’s neutrality and compliance with court rulings. In response, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Osun State has threatened industrial action over the alleged harassment of its members by the police.
In a related case, Felicia Olaojo, a staff member of the Boluwaduro local government council, was arrested by security operatives while allegedly attempting to smuggle government items and official documents out of the secretariat. The Osun State Police Command has neither confirmed nor denied the arrests, stating it has not yet received any reports on the matter.
The NLC has condemned these police actions as unacceptable and as an attempt to destabilise the state. The union accuses the All Progressives Congress (APC) of seeking to plunge Osun into crisis and vows to resist the alleged harassment of its members through legal means. This development follows NULGE’s announcement that staff would resume work on Monday, 5 January 2026, after the 11‑month strike sparked by deadly clashes between supporters of the Osun APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over control of local government secretariats.
The Osun State Police Command has warned that it will not tolerate anyone causing trouble at council premises, regardless of political affiliation. Public relations officer Abiodun Ojelabi affirmed that the police will maintain law and order in the state. Tensions remain high as the NLC and the police continue to clash over the alleged harassment of local government workers.
Comments are closed for this story.