Arms Scandal: APC Wants Immediate Arrest Of Ex-Gov, Amosun
The All Progressives Congress in Ogun State on Tuesday called on federal authorities to promptly arrest the state’s immediate-past governor, Ibikunle Amosun, warning that failure to do so would constitute a mockery of the country’s rule of law.
Mr Amosun is a member of the APC, although he supported another party’s candidate for the Ogun governorship election in March.
“The handover of such huge arms and ammunition is a confirmation of our pre-election outcry that the state was unsafe and that the governor was stockpiling arms and ammunitions for the purpose of wrecking havoc,” spokesperson Tunde Oladunjoye said in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon. “If Amosun is not brought to account, then people will continue to mock the rule of law.”
The demand came a day after PREMIUM TIMES broke the news that Mr Amosun, who was elected senator in February, had hurriedly surrendered an a large stockpile of arms and ammunition whose source had been a seriously questioned by national security officials.
The weapons included four million bullets, 1,000 units of AK47 rifles, 1,000 bulletproof vests and an armoured personnel carrier (APC).
The police commissioner, Bashir Makama, took delivery of the weapons without questioning Mr Amosun or reporting the matter to his superiors at the Force Headquarters, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.
Mr Amosun’s conduct, which sometimes turned violent ahead of the general elections, pitted him against the APC leadership.
He was suspended from the party for supporting the candidate of an opposition party in the governorship election, even though he was himself elected senator on the platform of the APC.
Mr Oladunjoye said the PREMIUM TIMES story further corroborated the “violence” which Mr Amosun inflicted on the state during the elections.
“We will like to thank the Federal Government for deploring soldiers to Ogun State during the election. If not for that, the story would have been different and more lives would have been lost.
“For the first time in the history of elections in Southwest Nigeria, Ogun State was policed by four Commissioners of Police.
“Ogun State was not only identified as the darkest spot, it was also used as the Operation Centre for in the South West by the Police and the SSS,” the APC said.
The party said Mr Amosun must now answer for all his alleged brutality against its members during the election. as well as where he came about the huge weapons haul.
“Our supporters were maimed and killed during our campaign and nothing has happened. A governorship candidate of a political party led thugs to attack collation Centre in Ipokia LG, nothing has happened. The following day, a policeman was killed in an ambush while escorting results from Ipokia LG, nothing has happened,” the party said.
“With the latest discovery, questions must be asked from the former governor. Let him show the origin and manifest of the arms.
“Was there any difference between the volume imported and the one handed over to the police? Who has control over the purchase, storage, distributions and use of arms and ammunitions between the Inspector General of Police and a state governor?
“The Abeokuta metropolis has recently witnessed an upsurge in armed robbery, that the government of Dapo Abiodun is now tackling decisively. What can the upsurge be traced to?” Mr Oladunjoye said.
Mr Amosun admitted while handing over the weapons to Mr Makama that some of them had been smuggled out of Oke Mosan Government House, Abeokuta, where he stockpiled them to neighbouring states.
The former governor has declined to comment on the scandal, despite repeated requests from PREMIUM TIMES. The police have also not made a public statement about the matter.
