Osun 2026: Police deny ‘hit list’ claim as Accord alleges crackdown

The Imole Campaign Council, the group leading the re-election campaign for the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Sunday accused the state police command of drawing up a list of 46 people, including a commissioner in the state cabinet, that will be arrested before the August 15 governorship poll.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Deputy Director General of the Campaign Council, Kolapo Alimi, said those marked for arrest are mainly from Ikire, the headquarters of the Irewole Local Government Area.

Alimi, who said top on the list allegedly drawn up by the opposition of those targeted for arrest was the Commissioner for Energy, Ademola Adeyemo, added that a chieftain of the Accord in Ikire, Taofeek Akinyemi, who was reportedly shot by hoodlums after reporting the incident to the police, was also arrested and detained by the security operatives for no justifiable reason.

Alimi, who is the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, also accused a particular operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps of working with the opposition party to undertake mass arrest of the Accord members in Ikire as part of the plot to disrupt campaign activities of the party in the local government area.

“Even more alarming are the credible security reports reaching the leadership of the Imole Campaign Council regarding a coordinated “hit list” drawn up by political opponents in collusion with compromised security operatives.

“Several leaders of the Accord and prominent opposition figures have been “penned down” for systematic, unlawful arrests in the days leading up to the election.

“Specifically, we have confirmed information that the following individuals (46 in number) have been marked for arbitrary arrest, harassment, and forcible transfer to Abuja to keep them out of circulation during the election,” Alimi said.

He listed those planned for arrest to include Ademola Adeyemo (Energy commissioner), Idris Idowu Jooda, Pastor Paul Akinola, Mukaila Yusuf, Dr Kazeem Atoba, Yesiru Olaniyi, Alhaji Olokeola, Wale Olunloye, Taye Adeyemo, Moshood Jolaiya, Lere Ogungbade, Kola Akinpelu, Tiri Adepoju and Pastor Femi Oladiran, among others.

Demanding the immediate release of Akinyemi or his arraignment in court, Alimi also called on the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to immediately issue a firm directive to the Osun State Police Command, SCID, and special squads from Abuja to cease the arbitrary arrest and harassment of opposition leaders, including the listed individuals marked for Abuja transfer.

He also called on the Force Headquarters to review the deployment of security officers in Osun State ahead of the election to ensure that only professional, neutral, and uncorrupted personnel are on duty.

When contacted for reaction, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, dismissed the allegations, saying operatives will continue to raid dark spots across the state to further protect the lives and properties of the residents.

Ojelabi said, “We are raiding black spots and criminal hideouts every day to sanitise the environment for the forthcoming election, and this raid is not targeted at any individual, nor a group of persons or a political party.

“It is targeted at criminal hideouts. We don’t have any list anywhere; the police don’t formulate any list.

“We are only working with criminal records that we have and constantly raiding black spots and criminal hideouts.

“We have advised parents to warn their children to avoid late-night movements and to avoid relationships with those who have criminal records. There is no way they will not implicate them.

“The government has also promised to come up with a joint task force, and that would have helped a lot, so it won’t be police alone, but since then we have not seen anything from them.

“Maybe tomorrow it will come up, so it won’t be that police is the one doing it alone or police have some people in mind.”