By John Alechenu
ABUJA — The Imole Campaign Council has called for the immediate and unconditional release of a traditional chief and 84 other supporters of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who it alleged were arrested by the Nigeria Police ahead of the August 16 governorship election.
The council made the demand on Wednesday after visiting the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja.
Addressing journalists, spokesperson of the council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged that the detainees were arrested without charges and transferred from Osun State to Abuja.
He identified some of those arrested as Chief Orija of Esa-Oke and an Accord Party candidate for Ilesa State Constituency, popularly known as “Alabama”.
Olajengbesi said: “In the last two or three days, over 86 members of our political family have been arrested for no reason. They were brought by road from Osun to Abuja and are being detained without any explanation.
“We have met with the leadership of the police, but they cannot provide any reason for these arrests. There is no petition against these people. They have committed no offence.”
He alleged that Chief Orija was arrested during a midnight raid on his residence in Esa-Oke before being transferred to Abuja.
The lawyer further claimed that 36 of the detainees had been moved to Keffi Correctional Centre, while 14 others were taken to Kuje Correctional Centre, without being arraigned before a court.
He also alleged that the Secretary to the Osun State Government was arrested for “sensitising people about the election”.
The council accused the Osun State Commissioner of Police of bias and called for his redeployment ahead of the election.
“The Commissioner of Police in Osun State wakes up every morning, moving from town to town arresting people simply because they are believed to be supporters of Governor Ademola Adeleke,” Olajengbesi alleged.
He further claimed that some police officers asked detainees whether they were willing to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the allegation as unacceptable.
“If the Commissioner of Police is allowed to oversee security during this election, then the process is already compromised. He is grossly biased and no longer hides his partisanship,” he said.
The campaign council urged the Inspector-General of Police and President Bola Tinubu to intervene to ensure a free, fair and credible election in Osun State.
“We want a credible election where people can freely exercise their franchise without intimidation or unlawful arrests,” Olajengbesi added.
The allegations could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
Political tension has continued to rise in Osun State ahead of the governorship election, with political parties trading accusations over alleged intimidation and misuse of security agencies.
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