- Safiu Kehinde
The Osun State Government has raised alarm over alleged deployment of a special squad by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, for the arrest and execution of Accord Party leaders and top government officials ahead of the August 15 governorship elections in the state.
The state government claimed that the squad led by one CSP Moses Lahor are set to land in Osun to commence what was described as a selective commando-like arrest of Accord officials for likely summary execution rather than investigation and prosecution.
Kolapo Alimi, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, made the allegation in a statement issued on Monday.
Alimi alleged that ahead of the operation, the special squad have been engaged in series of special meetings with the All Progessives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who he claimed to have deployed three vehicles to the squad for the operation.
“The government and the party leadership also learnt reliably that the alleged killer squad have had series of special meetings with the APC gubernatorial candidate, Bola Oyebamiji during which he has given them all necessary logistics to carry out the planned gruesome agenda of liquidating all known Accord stalwarts in different parts of the State.
“It was specifically gathered that the APC candidate has availed the killer squad two Toyota 18-seater passenger buses and one Sienna car for their smooth operations throughout the state.” The Commissioner wrote.
While claiming that the special squad were deployed without the knowledge of the Osun Police Commissioner, Alimi alleged that Lahor, the leader of the squad described as a killer squad, was once in charge of the Anti-kidnapping unit in the state.
Lahor was, according to him, redeployed from the state after an attempted murder of a National Road Transport Worker (NURTW) who he allegedly shot in the abdomen.
“What is worrisome is that the planned undercover operation is a secret scheme without the knowledge of the Osun State Commissioner of Police.
“The head of the killer squad who is also a serving police officer is a former officer in charge of Anti Kidnapping in Osun State Command of Nigeria Police who was involved in the attempted murder of a chieftain of NURTW, Comrade Nurudeen Alowonle whom he shot in the abdomen.
“He was then transferred out of Osun to Borno State as an operational punishment for the dastardly act of shooting a suspect in custody.
“The report indicated that top APC leaders from Osun state influenced his eventual transfer to another police unit, the IRTsquad of Nigeria Police.” Alimi wrote.
The commissioner called the attention of President Bola Tinubu and the internation community to the development.
He also charged IGP Disu to reject the alleged usage of his officers for illegal operations as he accused the APC and its candidate of desperate and mischievous plots ahead of the election.
“We hereby place an urgent appeal to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the International Community to take note of the looming planned mass arrest and killings of key figures of Accord Party in Osun state.
“We need to equally let the IGP know that the peace loving people of Osun State will resist, through lawful means, the planned mayhem being orchestrated by the opposition APC and their candidate, AMBO, who on a daily basis is desperately planning all acts of mischief and malfeasance after glaringly being rejected by the people of Osun state even before the coming election.
“We charge the IGP to toe the path of peace and harmony, so as not to allow his men (police) to be used to carry out the already known illegality in the interest of already sinking APC and its candidate, Mr Bola Oyebamiji in Osun state.” Alimi wrote.
The commissioner maintained that Osun people are aware of all the plots which he described as hatchet jobs. ”
We want the public to know that the good people of Osun are aware and awake to all the hatchet jobs being planned by the embattled and rejected but desperate APC to win the coming August election in the state by all means, even though it is too late for them to come to terms with the glaring defeat awaiting them after the August 15,2026 election.” He added.