Following the arrest of the Chairman of Osun State Park Management Committee, Nurudeen Iyanda Wakili, popularly known as Alowonle, with a police service gun and ammunition, non-governmental organizations, National Youths Inclusive Initiatives (NYII) and Societal Safety Network have appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun not to succumb to the emotional blackmail of the state government of Osun to get the governor’s appointee off the hook.

The groups equally berated the Osun state government under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke for shielding known criminals who are on the watchlist and wanted-list of police in the state.

The groups warned Adeleke’s government to stop rationalizing criminality and desist from its penchant for raising devilish minds all in the name of politics and politicking, saying the case of Alowonle must not be swept under the carpet.

This is just as the groups extolled officers and men of the Osun State Police Command for their proactivenes, high sense of professionalism, diligence and patriotism in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities of maintaining law and order.

The groups, at a joint Press Conference held in Abuja by their leadership represented by Comrade Fasasi Sodiq, President, National Youths Inclusive Initiatives (NYII) and Comrade Suleiman Salahudeen, Societal Safety Network (SSN), addressed sundry issues bordering on security and safety in the state, frowning at the suggestive unscrupulous dispositions of the Osun state government on the recent arrest of a gang of criminal suspects led by Adeleke’s appointee, Alowonle.

Recall that on Monday night, Alowonle and his cohorts in the Road Transport Union were arrested by the police over allegations bordering on murder, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms, and malicious damage.

According to the acting State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Giwa-Alade, “a petition accusing Nurudeen Wakili, a.k.a. Alowonle, of these crimes was submitted to the Commissioner of Police and referred to the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for investigation” hence the rounding up of the suspect and his cohorts after they had opened fire on the police at Ring Road Osogbo, at a point the suspects were about to attack the Complainant.

The Police’s account revealed that Nine (9) suspects, including Alowonle, were arrested at the scene but as they were being transported, some hoodlums sympathetic to Alowonle ambushed the police, forcibly rescued him and four (4) others, who all escaped while still in handcuffs before the police finally trailed and rearrested Alowonle at his hideout.

Sequel to the police revelation, the groups warned the state government from interfering in the matter as it shows that Governor Adeleke led government has been giving political colouration to the criminal matter in order to rescue and shield the suspect from being punished or tried.

The groups who alleged Osun state government of promoting criminality and shielding known criminals who are apologists of the incumbent Governor and his party – the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, said “it is disheartening that the Alowonle’s case has been given undue political colouration and it is about to be swept under the carpet as the police authority in the state and headquarters, Abuja have been pressured, heckled and emotionally browbeaten to succumb to the evil and disturbing narratives being peddled by the Osun State Government.”

“The attitude of the state government of Osun to crime is concerning. Just as they are trivializing the current arrest of Alowonle and making puerile justification to ease his freedom, they equally used the state government official platforms to fraternize with other alleged criminals and made frantic efforts to discredit the good work of the Nigeria Police.

“The Press Statement of the state government regarding the arrest of Alowonle signed by the Commissioner for Information, Mr Kolapo Alimi, is unpatriotic and should be condemned in all its entirety by good spirited Nigerians.

“In the past, no reasonable and responsible parent would want to identify with the child who is being alleged to be a criminal. But not in Osun under this current administration: someone was found with a British Beretta, a pistol, only found in possession of Police Officers. And to be in its possession when one is not one, it is either the person in the possession may have killed the real owner or de-possesed the real owner of it, in questionable circumstance. Rather than explaining to us how its appointee came about a police pistol, the government is busy rationalising criminality.

“We are also perturbed that some officials of the state government are now boasting around the town that nothing will come out of the arrest of Alawonle and other criminal suspects mentioned above because the Inspector General of Police has been ‘purchased’ and is now doing their bidding. They are boasting that they would make the state ungovernable until the hardworking Anti-Kidnapping Unit is disbanded, a scheme created to make criminality a free-for-all in the state.

“Gentlemen of the Press, as we speak here, a factional road transport union sympathetic to the state government have been mobilized to down tools, disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movement in the state in a push for the disbandment of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit in the state. There is no doubting the fact that there is an imprimatur of the state actors in this development.

“This is an unfortunate development and a precipice for breach of security if allowed to fester. The Police authority will be having a lot in their hands if law abiding citizens of the state, who are beneficiaries of security, law and order installed by the police in the state, are provoked to engage in reprisal and counter rally”, the group noted.

The groups therefore implored the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to use his good office to rid-the-state-of-crime and personally address the emerging brigandage going on in Osun State before it becomes a bigger monster that will impact on security, law and order.

Specifically, the groups appealed to the police authority to clear the name of the force of the grievous allegation by the suspect that policemen supplied him with guns and ammunition found in his possession.