Civil society organisations (CSOs), yesterday urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun not to succumb to the emotional blackmail by Osun State government to get the governor’s appointee off the ongoing criminal investigation.
The CSOs operating under the umbrella of National Youths Inclusive Initiatives (NYII), and Societal Safety Network (SSN), noted that this appeal followed the arrest of the Chairman of Osun State Park Management Committee, Nurudeen Wakili, popularly known as Alowonle, with a police service gun and ammunition.
Addressing a joint press conference in Abuja over the case, the CSOs also appealed to the police authorities not to allow the case to be swept under the carpet.
Speaking, the President, National Youths Inclusive Initiatives (NYII) Fasasi Sodiq, and Suleiman Salahudeen, of the Societal Safety Network (SSN), extolled officers and men of the Osun State Police Command for their proactiveness, high sense of professionalism, diligence and patriotism in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities of maintaining law and order.
The acting PPRO, Osun State Police Command, Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, in a statement said that Alowonle and his group were on Monday night arrested by the police over allegations bordering on murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms, and malicious damage.
The CSOs also noted that the police statement on the subject matter revealed that nine suspects, including Alowonle, were arrested at the scene but as they were being transported, some hoodlums sympathetic to Alowonle ambushed the police, forcibly rescued him and four others, who all escaped while still in handcuffs before the police finally trailed and rearrested Alowonle at his hideout.
According to the CSOs, “It is disheartening that the Alowonle’s case has been given undue political colouration and it is about to be swept under the carpet as the police authority in the state and headquarters, Abuja have been pressured, heckled and emotionally browbeaten to succumb to the evil and disturbing narratives being peddled by the Osun State Government.
“The attitude of the state government of Osun to crime is concerning. They are trivialising the current arrest of Alowonle and making puerile justification to aid his freedom”.
They said that the state government is making frantic efforts to discredit the good work of the Nigeria Police.
They further averred that the press statement by the state government on the arrest of Alowonle which was signed by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Kolapo Alimi, was unpatriotic and should be condemned in all its entirety by good spirited Nigerians.
“In the past, no reasonable and responsible parent would want to identify with the child who was alleged to have committed a crime.
“We are also perturbed that some officials of the state government are now boasting around the town that nothing will come out of the arrest of Alawonle and other criminal suspects arrested with him,” they said.
Linus Aleke @ThisDay
