Police: Aregbesola did not order arrest of ex-council chairman

Fatai Diekola, former council chairman of Osogbo, was arrested for violence-related activities and not on the orders of governor Rauf Aregbesola, says Fimihan Adeoye, the state commissioner of police.

He said Diekola was on Monday arrested alongside five others when he showed up at the police headquarters in Osogbo with a convoy of his loyalists.

According to Adeoye, the former council chairman was detained for constituting a nuisance and charged for public disturbance and breach of public peace.

Diekola, he said, had been invited by the police in connection with alleged political violence recorded prior to the Osun west senatorial by-election.

He said the arrest was not in any way politically motivated, and that it was done in accordance with the law.

“It is unfortunate that people are insinuating about political motivation of the arrest relevance and over-flogging this matter. Any arrest made by the police is not for any individual’s interest but rather in the interest of justice and fairness,” he said.

“Any arrest made does not matter about the individual’s socio-economic status, group or political party he or she belongs to.

“People should stop over-floogging this matter. When an individual commits an offence, such person will be dealt with in accordance with the law irrespective of his status or political affiliation.

“Nobody orders the Command to arrest anyone. We are carrying out our statutory responsibility. We should know when an individual commits an offence. The political status of such person does not matter. What matters is to allow the law to take its due course.”