The Kwara State Police Commissioner Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday said Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, PDP senatorial candidate for Kwara South, and seven other suspects in the state were arrested in connection with the incidents at Ojoku, where one person was killed, and Ilorin where there was an attack on the convoy of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Ojoku, the hometown of Senator Ibrahim, witnessed serious violence on Tuesday when the APC senatorial candidate, Mr. Lola Ashiru, took his campaign to the town, leading to the death of one person while about nine people sustained injuries. Also, on Thursday in Ilorin, unknown persons reportedly attacked the convoy of vice president Osinbajo at Isale-Aluko area of Ilorin which led to many people sustaining injuries.
Briefing journalists on the level of preparations of the joint security committee in the state for today’s polls, Egbetokun who was flanked by heads of other security agencies in the state, said the security agencies had commenced search for other suspects in connection with these dastardly acts in Ojoku and Ilorin. Egbetokun also pledged the neutrality of the security forces in the efforts to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in the state; denying allegations that the police was targeting members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in its clampdown on suspected criminals ahead of Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections.
But the PDP is not buying what Egbetokun is selling and has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of its Kwara South Senatorial candidate, and other members of the party it said were framed up, arrested and detained by the police in Kwara State. The party, in a statement Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, cautioned the police against harassing, arresting and detaining its members on flimsy charges, as such would directly pit security agents against the people in a manner that might spark off violent resistance with regrettable consequences.
He stressed that the resort to police brutality by the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a script by a losing team which seeks to introduce violence and use the police to execute its rigging plots. The main opposition party noted that the continued detention of Ibrahim on the eve of a crucial election, in which he is a lead contender, is completely provocative.
Ologbondiyan stated: “PDP in clear terms cautions the APC and their compromised security agents that nobody has the monopoly of show of strength. Our members in Kwara or any other state, for that matter, are law-abiding but will never allow themselves to be subjugated by anybody, particularly in this critical electoral process.
“In this regard, our members should immediately activate their individual and collective defence mechanisms by using every legitimate means available, to resist the aggression of the APC and their compromised security agents as well as dismantle their rigging machineries.
The party said that Nigerians would recall its protest against the deployment of Bola Tinubu’s former ADC, CP Kayode Egbetokun, as Kwara State Commissioner of Police, wherein it alerted of plots by the APC to use him to incite the people, cause pandemonium and pave the way for outright rigging in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari and all other candidates on the platform of APC. The PDP therefore called on the Inspector General of Police (IG) to immediately call Egbetokun to order.
While pledging to give all participants in the election a fair playing ground, the police boss however warned that the security agencies were fully ready for anyone who had plans to disrupt the polls.
He said an Air Force helicopter had been deployed to the state for reconnaissance activities as part of measures to check outbreak of violence.
The police boss added: “Law abiding citizens and eligible voters should come out and exercise their rights. I can assure you that everyone will be protected. Anybody seen with arms on election day is a hoodlum and will be treated as hoodlum. Those preparing to cause violence should be ready to contend with us. We have made adequate preparations for them.”
Egbetokun faulted claims by the PDP that the command had arrested 20 of its members, saying so far the police have nabbed only eight people. He said their political affiliations were not of concern when they were being arrested. “When we carry out arrest we don’t even identify their political affiliation and we are neutral in this game and we are resolved not to be partisan in the game. I have also heard rumors that we are targeting some people but I have always treated it as rumor. If you observe before this election was postponed there was no arrest and there would have been no arrest if the election had held last week.”
