Rep. Salam Accuses Police of Backing Illegal LG Takeover in Osun

By Oluwakemi Kindness

A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Bamidele Salam, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of aiding the illegal takeover of local government councils in Osun State.

He is therefore calling on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to withdraw officers from what he described as unlawful duties in council secretariats across the state.

Salam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, made the allegation on Monday while reacting to a viral video showing the harassment and humiliation of a local government worker in Egbedore Local Government Area.

In a statement he personally signed, the lawmaker describes the alleged involvement of police officers in the incident as “shameful, despicable and outrightly unconstitutional.”

“I just watched a viral video and many photographs of Mr. Taiwo Adebayo, a local government worker in Egbedore Local Government of Osun State being humiliated by some politicians in the presence of the Divisional Police Officer of the local government, Mrs. Tawakalitu Ogunniyi, and some of her personnel,” Salam said.

He explained that Adebayo, an administrative staff of the local government, was on lawful duty following a directive by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) after an 11-month strike.

“Mr. Adebayo was in possession of files relating to the retirement process of some local government staff who would soon be exiting service and needed to process their papers for payment of necessary benefits,” he said, adding that the worker acted on the instruction of his superior.

Salam alleged that the politician seen supervising the detention and humiliation of the staff was Mr. Issa Akinwale, whom he said had been sacked as council chairman by judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.

“The dehumanising treatment of citizen Adebayo by the politician in the presence of law enforcement agents supervised by the Divisional Police Officer is despicable, condemnable and outrightly unconstitutional,” he said.

The lawmaker demanded the immediate release of the staff and a public apology from the Nigeria Police Force, while also calling for an end to what he described as the unlawful capture of local government administration in the state.

“I call on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to uphold the rule of law by withdrawing his men from their current illegal duties in the local government secretariats of Osun State,” Salam said.

He warned that continued police involvement in partisan politics at the local government level poses a serious threat to democracy and judicial authority.