Osun Govt, Police Continue Face-Off Over Arrest Of Adeleke’s Aides
- As Govt Claims Police Lied On Arrests
The face-off between the Osun State Government and the state Police Command over the alleged unlawful remand of an aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Mr Abiodun Adegoke, continued on Wednesday.
The state government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, accused the police command of lying to cover up its mistakes.
Alimi was reacting to a statement issued by the police on Tuesday, which rejected allegations of partisan conduct earlier levelled against it by the state governor.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Governor Adeleke had on Monday urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to call the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan to order, over the alleged unlawful arrest and detention of Adegoke.
Adeleke said Adegoke was repeatedly denied bail over a defamation petition by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Mr Bola Oyebamiji.
He accused the Osun Police Command of losing its sense of professionalism since the Commissioner of Police resumed office, alleging that the abuse of the rights of citizens under the CP is based on verbal petitions or instructions of opposition political leaders.
But the Command while responding to the allegations in a statement by the Assistant Police Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, said it does not act on verbal petitions or instructions from any political leader.
Providing details of the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the governor’s aide, Giwa-Alade said the APC gubernatorial candidate submitted a formal petition to the command against Adegoke and one Monsuru Iyiola.
He noted that while Iyiola was arrested, Adegoke allegedly went into hiding with efforts to reach him proving abortive.
He said, “On 27th December 2025, Mr Abiodun Adegoke Apesin and his accomplice, Mr Iyiola Monsuru, made a malicious and damaging publication against one of the popular, prominent and illustrious sons of Osun.
“A formal petition was submitted by the victim, and the Command immediately commenced an investigation into the matter. Mr Apesin was invited, but he went into hiding. All efforts to reach him proved abortive.
“However, his accomplice, Mr. İyiola Monsuru, was apprehended. Through diligent Intel analysis, Mr Apesin was arrested in his hideout, and in the course of interrogation, he confessed to the alleged crime and pleaded for leniency.”
However, the state government in its statement on Wednesday, said the police lied with their claim that the APC gubernatorial candidate submitted a petition against Adegoke and Iyiola.
Alimi said the petition was submitted by the APC chairman of Irewole Local Government, contrary to what the police claimed.
“To set the record straight, the Osun State Police Command falsely claimed that the petition, which led to the arrest of Mr Apesin Abiodun Adegoke and Mr Iyiola Monsuru, was submitted by Mr Bola Oyebamiji, whom they alleged was defamed by the duo. This claim is patently false.
“The petition shown to counsel to the suspects was submitted by the APC Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Mr Arimiyau Owoade, who alleged that the statements in question affected the APC candidate from his local government. The Police are therefore challenged to explain the basis of their misleading public claim,” the statement noted.
Alimi further said the statement by the police that both suspects were “invited.” was untrue.
“At no time were Mr Adegoke or Mr Monsuru invited by the Police. Rather, they were arrested without prior invitation, in a manner more befitting a Gestapo operation than a democratic police force,” he said.
The statement also faulted the police claim that Adegoke confessed to the offence and pleaded for leniency while in custody, adding that, “this allegation is entirely fabricated. At no point did Mr Adegoke admit to committing any offence, nor did he plead for leniency. The Police are hereby challenged to produce any credible evidence to support this claim.”
The statement said the Osun Police Command owes the public an explanation and accountability for “this grave abuse of power”, urging the Command to stay clear of politics and stay professional.”
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
