- Safiu Kehinde
Osun State Government has accused the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the state’s Police Command of attempt to murder Park Management Chairman, Iyanda Alowonle.
This was contained in a statement issued by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi.
NPO earlier reported the incident involving the Osun Transport Management System Chairman who was shot in police custody following his arrest over alleged illegal possession of fire arms at Osogbo.
Reacting to the incident, Alimi accused the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of deliberate attempt to eliminate the Chairman who was appointed by the state’s governor, Ademola Adeleke.
According to him, Alowonle is presently on life support at the Intensive Care Unit of the Osun State Teaching Hospital as the gunshot hit his abdomen.
Meanwhile , the state government denied claims that Alowonle had attempted to evade arrest Alowonle, resulting to the incident.
It held that the fact that he was shot in the abdomen, as video from his hospital bed confirmed, proved that he was shot at close range with intent to eliminate him.
While calling for the arrest of the Head of Osun Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad, the state government accused the police of plot to eliminate all supporters of governor Ademola Adeleke.
It called for the intervention of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, over what it considered threat to peace and stability of the state.
“We also note that the purported arrest was a civil matter, not criminally related to have warranted the involvement of Mr Moses Lohor, the head of the Anti-Kidnapping squad except for the repeat of a recent pattern of police harassment of officials of the state government on partisan motivation.
“The programmed attempted murder of Mr Alowonle is just one in the series of shootings and attacks on officials of the state by the head of anti-kidnapping squad who regularly acted with impunity and who has not hidden his vow to eliminate supporters of the state government.
“As we summoned several meetings to calm frayed nerves today, we struggled hard to stop reprisal attacks against police establishment across the state due to what the public now see as police partisan conduct in breach of the law.
“As we regret a situation in which law enforcers are becoming threat to peace and stability of the state, the state government therefore demands the Inspector General of Police and the National Security Adviser to take judicious note of the increasing breach of state peace by the hostile conduct of some police officers who now shot at innocent civilians and suspects at will.
“We call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mr Moses Lohor, the Head of the Anti- Kidnapping Squad for his wilful act of attempted murder.
“We demand police impartiality and commitment to rule of law without fixation on partisan considerations;
“We also call the attention of the National Security Adviser to the increasing threat to peace in Osun state amidst threat to unleash violence ahead of 2026 election
“We call on the Inspector General of Police to rise to the occasion and abandon any signal that may portray him as acting against Osun peace and stability”, the statement concluded.