Osun State Police Command has denied claims that it compiled a list of political figures for arrest ahead of the August 15 governorship election. The allegations were made by the Imole Campaign Council, the body coordinating the re‑election campaign of Governor Ademola Adeleke, and were first reported on Sunday.
In a statement to journalists in Osogbo, Deputy Director‑General of the council, Kolapo Alimi, said the police had drawn up a list of 46 individuals, including a serving commissioner, for pre‑election arrest. He alleged that most of those named were from Ikire, the headquarters of Irewole Local Government Area, and that the Commissioner for Energy, Ademola Adeyemo, was among them. Alimi also claimed that Accord chieftain Taofeek Akinyemi, who was reportedly shot by hoodlums, was arrested after reporting the incident. He further accused an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) of colluding with political opponents to facilitate the alleged mass arrest of Accord members in Ikire. Alimi demanded the immediate release of Akinyemi or his arraignment before a competent court and called on Inspector‑General of Police Olatunji Disu to direct the Osun State Police Command, the State Criminal Investigation Department and special squads from Abuja to halt what he described as arbitrary arrests and harassment of opposition leaders. The council urged the Force Headquarters to review security deployments ahead of the election, insisting that only professional, neutral and impartial security personnel should be assigned to election duties.
The list of 46 individuals cited by Alimi included Ademola Adeyemo, Idris Idowu Jooda, Pastor Paul Akinola, Mukaila Yusuf, Dr Kazeem Atoba, Yesiru Olaniyi, Alhaji Olokeola, Wale Olunloye, Taye Adeyemo, Moshood Jolaiya, Lere Ogungbade, Kola Akinpelu, Tiri Adepoju and Pastor Femi Oladiran, among others.
Responding to the allegations, Police Public Relations Officer DSP Abiodun Ojelabi said the police had not compiled any arrest list or targeted members of any political party. “We are raiding black spots and criminal hideouts every day to sanitise the environment for the forthcoming election,” Ojelabi said. “This raid is not targeted at any individual, group of persons or political party. It is targeted at criminal hideouts. We don’t have any list anywhere; the police do not formulate any list.” He added that the command would continue intelligence‑led operations against criminal elements and urged parents to discourage their children from late‑night movements and association with individuals with criminal records. Ojelabi noted that while the state government had proposed a joint security task force, the police had yet to see its implementation, saying such an arrangement would demonstrate that security operations were not being carried out by the police alone.
The dispute highlights the heightened tensions surrounding the upcoming election. While the police maintain that their operations are strictly crime‑fighting, the campaign council insists that the actions are politically motivated. The situation remains fluid, and further statements from both sides are expected as the election approaches.
