The Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gothan, of orchestrating the unlawful detention of his aide, Abiodun Adegoke, and denying him bail.
In response to this situation, the Governor has urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and ensure that Gothan upholds Adegoke’s rights.
In a prompt response, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Osun State Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that Adegoke has indeed been granted bail.
Ojelabi further exonerated the Commissioner of Police from any culpability in the handling of the case, indicating that the command has conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations against Adegoke and intends to file charges against him in the Federal High Court.
However, Adeleke, through a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, and received in Osogbo on Monday, clarified that Adegoke had consistently been denied bail in connection with a defamation petition he filed against the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji.
Expressing concern over Adegoke’s ongoing detention as a violation of his fundamental human rights, the governor stated, “One of my aides, Mr. Adegoke, has been detained for over five days.”
“He has not been charged to court and has been refused bail on two occasions. That is a fundamental breach of the law and the Constitution.
“The Osun Police Command seems to be losing every sense of professionalism since Mr Gothan resumed as CP in Osun.
“Police now detain suspects for as long as they want without granting bail or charging them to court, and in most cases, the abuse of citizens’ rights is based on verbal petitions or instructions from opposition political leaders.”
He demanded “the unconditional and immediate release of Mr Adegoke and an end to the systematic harassment of my media aides who are functioning within the confines of the law and the Constitution.
“Before Mr Adegoke, another one of my aides, Mr Iyiola Monsuru, was detained. Both of them were arrested without the Police extending a formal invitation.”
“The police command should not give the impression or conduct itself in ways that mark it as serving the political interest of the APC and its chieftains.
“The police should be impartial and non-partisan and serve the interests of all Nigerians within the confines of the law.”
