TICC raises alarm over alleged arrest plot, urges IGP to intervene

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to arrest some leaders of the Accord Party in Osun State and transfer them to Abuja ahead of the August 15 governorship election, calling on the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to intervene to stop the alleged arbitrary arrests and harassment.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo on Sunday, the deputy director-general of the council, Kolapo Alimi, alleged that the council had received credible security reports of a coordinated plan by political opponents in collaboration with compromised security operatives.

According to him, “The credible security reports reaching the leadership of the Imole Campaign Council indicate a coordinated ‘hit list’ drawn up by political opponents in collusion with compromised security operatives. Several leaders of the Accord Party and prominent opposition figures have been pencilled down for systematic, unlawful arrests in the days leading up to the election”.

The council described the alleged plot as a classic and outdated tactic designed to weaken the Accord Party’s campaign structure, disenfranchise voters and create an atmosphere of fear.

“We are aware that this illicit operation involves specific partisan actors working hand in glove with compromised personnel. These individuals have been spotted acting alongside security personnel to track, intimidate and target opposition stakeholders in Ikire and across the state,” the council alleged.

The council also claimed that officers of the Osun State Police Command’s State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) unlawfully arrested one of its key stakeholders, Taofeek Akinyemi, on Saturday, August 1, without a warrant or any known offence.

It further alleged that an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was working with compromised security personnel on what it described as illegal political assignments.

The council called on the IGP and the leadership of the NSCDC to investigate the alleged roles of the identified individuals and security personnel in the reported incidents.