- Safiu Kehinde
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded probe and transfer of Adefisoye Kazeem, the Chief Security Officer to the state Governor Ademola Adeleke, over alleged arrest and detention of its member, Rasaq Gafar.
Adefisoye. a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), was alleged to have convened with OC-SWAT under the Oyo State Police Command to illegally arrest Rasaq.
In what it described as a breach of professional code of conduct, abuse of office, the Osun APC in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Chairman Sooko Tajudeen Lawal recounted how Rasaq was whisked away by eight masked police officers who stormed the Zenith Bank branch at Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo state.
He was at first taken to the Divisional Police Headquarters at Orita Challenge before being transferred to the SWAT office of the Police Force, Ibadan, where was allegedly assaulted.
According to the statement made available to NPO Reports by the Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, CSP Adefisoye allegedly wrote the petition for the arrest of the Osun APC member.
“It was learnt that on the 4th of August, 2025, at about 4:00 pm, the CSP Adefisoye and other unknown police officers numbering about eight drawn from the Osun State Government House were fully masked stormed the Zenith Bank Nig. Plc at Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State where Gafar works and physically manhandled, unlawfully and forcefully arrested him without any prior invitation extended to him.
“Gafar was arrested in a militia and Gestapo manner and thereafter taken to the Divisional Police Headquarters, Orita Challenge but the DPO refused to detain him on the premise that the arrest was unlawful and illegal.
“The purported suspect was subsequently taken to the SWAT office of the Nigeria Police Force, Ibadan, where he was further physically manhandled, detained, dehumanised in clear breach of his fundamental right.
“Information also has it that the petition that led to the unlawful, illegal arrest and detention of Gafar was strangely initiated, written and signed by the CSP Adefisoye Kazeem, the CSO to Governor Adeleke, which is a clear breach of professional Code of Conduct as a serving police officer under the Osun State Police Command.
“The purported suspect who is a member of our party in Osun State was denied access to his phone, disallowed from contact from his lawyer and hastily under duress arraigned at the Chief Magistrate’s Court, Ibadan, Oyo State on the 5th of August, 2025.” the statement read.
While describing the incident as worrisome, the Osun APC called for the intervention of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
They demand investigation, punishment, and immediate transfer of CSP Adefisoye to halt his being used as an agent of political victimsation.
“Based on the foregoing, we are imploring the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the unprofessional conduct and illegal activities of the CSP Adefisoye Kazeem, the CSO to the Osun State Governor Adeleke and the other unknown police officers serving under the Osun State Government House, whose actions have dented the image of the Nigeria Police Force.
“We, as a party, would like to demand for the immediate punishment and transfer of the CSP Adefisoye Kazeem out of the Osun State Police Command in order to halt his being used as an agent of political victimisation by the governor against the members of our party.” The APC said.
The party labelled the CSO’s action as a clear danger to the prosperity of democratic governance advocated by President Bola Tinubu.
They further narrated how the Osun Governor’s CSO had colluded with the SWAT boss in carrying out the illegal act which is not only targeted at Rasaq but also on other prominent members of the Osun APC media team who have been allegedly shortlisted for arrest.
“Further investigation revealed that it was an illegal operation that the CSP Adefisoye and his team went to perform in Oyo State.
“It was also learnt that the Governor Adeleke CSO who led the illegal operation to arrest Gafar in Oyo State had since been demobilised to the Osun State Command since his promotion to the DSP but he refused to leave the Government House.
“It was also gathered that Adefisoye favoured the choice of SWAT because the OC of the special police squad is his kinsman who hails from Idanre, Ondo State and willingly collaborated with him to carry out the dirty and illegal operation.
“It was also gathered that during the process of the illegal arrest of Gafar by the Adeleke CSO, he disclosed that his team had been on the trail of the purported suspect for two weeks and that other members of the Osun State APC media team like Mogaji Kola Olabisi, Kehinde Ayantunji, Waheed Adekunle, Bada Mayowa Wasiu, Adedeji Adebayo, Akin Adeyi and others are on the arrest list of the Governor Adeleke CSO.” The statement added.