More than ten persons have been arrested for criticising the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, in the last five years.
Oyetola, who served as the Governor of Osun, from 2018 to 2022, Osun Defender gathered has continued to allegedly mobilise law enforcement agents to arrest, detain, and attack perceived political enemies and critics.
Some residents of Osun who spoke to the medium said the situation has persisted since his assumption of office as governor, especially with the arrest and detention of a social media influencer and member of Omoluabi Progressives, Kamorudeen Oladepo, popularly known as Adabanija.
Osun Defender learnt that the 54-year-old native of Ara in Egbedore local government of the state was arrested on Thursday, October 3, and taken to the state criminal investigative department (SCID), Osogbo, after petitions on his Facebook post on the Minister’s birthday.
Kamorudeen in the post said, “In case you don’t know, the palliative rice president Tinubu gave all ministers, Oyetola used his own for his 70th birthday gifts,” on September 29, 2024.
He accused the Minister of sharing the rice palliative rice allotted to members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by President Bola Tinubu with his loyalists to mark his big day.
Although, he was later released on Monday, October 7, after an apology to Oyetola five days after his arrest, Adabanija’s situation brings to over ten persons attacked and arrested allegedly on the orders of the former Governor, according to feelers available to the medium.
The arrest of Kazeem Aro Balogun on October 4, 2019, was one of the first in the series of arrests of those alleged to have defamed the administration of former governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Balogun had been invited by the State Criminal Investigative Bureau of the Nigeria Police upon receipt of a petition, to prove his allegations of financial impropriety, mismanagement of public funds, and corrupt tendencies as contained in his Facebook post against Engr. Remi Omowaiye, former Commissioner for Works under Oyetola.
After declaring not having substantiative evidence to back his claims, he later prostrated to Omowaiye, in apology. He was later given a political appointment in the administration after pledging loyalty to Oyetola’s camp.
On April 14, 2020, a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Osogbo ordered the remand of one Akinloye Saheed, a member of the then-opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Ilesa Correctional Centre for ‘allegedly publishing a fake news on his Facebook account to incite members of the public against the state government’, when Oyetola was governor of the state.
According to the government, Saheed accused the government on his Facebook account of importing COVID-19 patients into the state just to access funds from the Federal Government.
“The said imported patients are now negative. APC, you are not doing well,” the prosecutor quoted part of Saheed’s post.
Also in 2020, a member of the defunct The Osun Progressives (TOP) and loyalist of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Rasheed Raji Ropo, was quizzed by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly using OsunMediaGuru Facebook account to malign Oyetola.
Ropo, a serving councillor from Odo-Otin local government at the time, was released after almost 12 hours after pressure from his political camp and other stakeholders across the state.
Similarly, on August 23, 2021, seven loyalists of the former Minister of Interior, were docked before a Magistrates Court sitting in Osogbo over alleged assault and conspiracy.
Those docked include the then-state All Progressives Congress Caretaker Secretary, Rasaq Salinsile, former party Chairman and Leader of The Osun Progressives, TOP, Lowo Adebiyi, and former Commissioner for Works and Transportation, Engr Kazeem Salami.
Others are the current Commissioner for Political Affairs under Governor Ademola Adeleke, Dr. Biyi Odunlade, former Special Adviser on Taxation, Barr. Gbenga Akano, a member of the APC in Ilesa, Alaba Popoola, and one Azeez Adekunle.
They all pleaded not guilty to the two- counts preferred against them before Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara.
Osun Defender learnt that the men were arraigned due to their involvement in the then factionalisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state through the creation of The Osun Progressives (TOP) in 2021.
In an immediate reaction, a caucus of the APC in the state, Omoluabi Progressives accused the police of being biased in cases involving members of its tendency and that of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
Abosede Oluwaseun, the Organising and Publicity Secretary of Omoluabi Progressives said the detention of Adabanija for more than five days without prosecution or bail is an abuse of power.
The caucus also alleged the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy of continuous victimisation of the tendency’s members of the caucus opposed to his political camp.
“We wish to state that while the Police is empowered by the law to carry out arrests in the investigation of various reports from members of the public, we find it disturbing that Kamorudeen has been held in custody.
“Omoluabi Progressives is seeking the professional handling of the case according to constitutional provisions. Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) states that a suspect should not be detained more than 48 hours by the police. The suspect should either be charged to court or release on bail.
“The police refused to charge Adabanija to court for six days after his arrest on allegation of false information. This is unprofessional and a breach of his fundamental human rights. Adabanija has not committed a capital offence to warrant his continuous detention by the police.
“The police should not act as a political agent to victimise Adabanija because of his rejection of Oyetola’s political camp. Osun should not experience what the Police did in Rivers State,” the statement read.
Human rights activist, Femi Falana SAN held that in cases such as the arrest of the social media influencer, anyone alleged to have defamed an individual should be charged for a civil libel, devoid of arrest and criminalisation.
Citing the case involving VeryDarkMan/Bobrisky and his son, Falz, the legal luminary said issues of defamation could only lead to a civil case in court if the accused does not retract the post or offer an acceptable apology to those affected.
Falana said, “I have resisted to file a criminal compliant on defamation because I am leading a team of lawyers in West Africa campaigning for decriminalisation of freedom of expression. This campaign is being coordinated by the Media Foundation for West Africa where I am a member of the board.
“We have succeeded in getting Liberia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone to decriminalise freedom of expression. We are still appealing to other countries in the region to ensure that we respect freedom of expression, but that is not a license for defaming people, for blackmailing people.
“What we are saying is that if you are defamed, the worst-case scenario of the late Justice Olatawura in the case of Arthur Nwankwo and the state, If you are defamed by anybody, please go out there and sue for libel, where you would put your own character in history. In this case, we are not going to file a criminal complaint, we would not be pushed to do that.
“I am currently defending a couple of journalists who are standing trial either under the cybercrime act, or criminal libel, but what you are going to do is to embark on civil proceedings, with a view to restoring our integrity (my own name and that of my son) so that nobody will simply rush to the social media to defame anybody. We want to make an example in this case.
“We have asked for a retraction and an apology rendered to us and that is not too much. And if we do not have an apology acceptable to us and accepted by us, we are certainly going to initiate civil proceedings in the high court.”
Also, another legal practitioner who worked with the legal team that secured Adabanija’s conditional release, Ismail Abdulganiyu, said the situation would not have degenerated if Oyetola had addressed the situation.
Abdulganiyu posited that if the Minister had provided information on the status of the rice palliative to be distributed to the public in line with Chapter Two of the 1999 constitution, citizens like the influencer are permitted to call public officials to order.
The lawyer held in a post on his Facebook page that, “I spent the whole of today at State CID, while Baba Adabanija was released conditionally, we appreciate those that stood by us during this phase.
“It is important for Public Office holders to understand that it is there (sic) duty to be accountable to the public, if Mr Gboyega Oyetola has made a public release on the said Rice, maybe Baba Adabanija wouldn’t have made such post.
“Chapter two of 1999 Constitution as amended provides for Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principle of State Policy, either Executive or Legislative member who fails to take cognizance of this provisions, it is duty of the citizens to call them to order.”
READ: Continued Detention Of Kamorudeen Adabanija Illegal – Omoluabi Progressives
In another reaction, another social media user, Wahab Abiona, accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and his aides for orchestrating Adabanija’s arrest, stressing that they are more culpable of defamation.
He wrote on Facebook, “How Many of their boys were arrested by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola? Despite they called him many unprinted names. You guys sent thugs to attack Olateju Adunni Olorungbebe Olorunjuedalo and his Friends, at the end, we are still soaring naa nii.. (sic)
“God passes you all (sic). Arresting Hon Adabanija Kamorudeen Oladepo Mayegun is not a big deal, after this, what else? Even even (sic) you send him to jail, jail term would end and what else?
“History is beckoned!!! (sic),” Abiona said.
While justifying the decision of the Minsiter to petition the police on the alleged defamation by Adabanija, an Oyetola loyalist, Funso Fagbohungbe said the post is inimical to the former governor’s personality.
Titled “The Gravity of Adabanija’s offence that warranted his Arrest!,” Fagbohungbe noted that the statement which the influencer could not substantiate was capable of inciting the public against Oyetola.
His words, “It is important to let people know what Adabanija has done, it is public incitement against the Minister and the party members that the Minister is shortchanging Osun people with the FG rice and he tried to damage the joyful mood of the Oyetola’s lovers by posting such false information at a very significant day in the life of the Minister, a day the Man clocked 70.
“Instead of birthday wishes, many were raining curses on him for offence he has not committed, in the eyes of the public, he is a fraudulent human being, his family and friends were reading it on his birthday day, his grandchildren were reading it, what impression does he want to create about the minister?
“Those who got the gifts were harassed on their way home by members of the public that they were carrying FG rice, above all, if not God by now they would have looted his house and campaign office. That was how just a voice note led to the looting of Tuns Farm and the mob killed the security man, something of this nature must not be trivialized and politicized….
“So all the Devil Advocates online should tell the whole world if this is good on the part of the old Fool,” the post read.
In an appreciation post aired live on his Facebook page on Tuesday morning, Adabanija apologised to the Minister, admitting that the claims made in his post were not evidential.
He, however, accused aides of the former governor of being behind his arrest.
The influencer stated that it was Oyetola’s political associates who had scores to settle with him politically, who took advantage of the situation to deal with him.
His words, “I want to thank everyone who stood by me during my ordeal in police cell for five days. It was a tough moment, but I thank God that I am out of detention alive.
“Let me reiterate my apology for Alhaji Isiaka Gboyega Oyetola, his family and associates whom I might have offended with the post, because it lacks evidence. I am sorry. Oyetola is a father figure to me and I will continue to respect him.
“But for his political associates who are the ones behind the petition using Oyetola’s name, I am not apologising to you and I am not sorry. Yes, I wrote political associates in my apology in accordance with my lawyer’s directive but I don’t owe those associates any apology. I saw their names in the petition.
“They should not hide under Oyetola’s name to attack me. They should face me directly. It is because I am not supporting the Minister that these people have hated me and want to deal with me. I know all of them and I know posterity will be fair to us all.
“I thank Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, my leader, and all members of Omoluabi Progressives for standing by me during my period of incarceration,” Adabanija said.
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