Tension as police arrest Faleke’s ‘brother’

Funsho Olumoko, former chairman of Ijumu LGA, Kogi state, has been arrested by the police and taken to an unknown destination.

Olumoko, who is described as brother to James Faleke, the running mate to late Abubakar Audu in the 2015 Kogi governorship election, had addressed the press on Monday critical of Yahaya Bello, the Kogi governor.

Faleke is currently in court disputing the choice of Bello as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the death of Audu while results were being announced.

Olumoko was arrested around 1.30am on Tuesday at his home in Ekinrin Adde.

Police officers were said to have come in four heavily armed Hilux vans, used a ladder to climb the fence, smashed the doors of the residence, broke into the ceilings and eventually took Olumoko.

His 95-year-old father and 70-year-old mother were harassed and manhandled, an insider alleged.

Olumoko had addressed the press on behalf of the community, condemning Bello for trying to repaint and rename the primary health centre built in the community by the federal government as far back as 2007 as a new project to be commissioned by the governor’s wife on Tuesday.

He said: “There is no justification for whatsoever visit by Alhaji Yahaya Bello or his wife to our community now, in view of the circumstances surrounding the mandate which he presently holds, the status of our son, Hon. J A Faleke, in the last governorship election as the perceived rightful owner of the governorship mandate, and consequently the likely security implication of such a visit to Hon Faleke’s home town under the prevailing circumstances.

“The idea of the visit was fraudulently conceived to find an excuse by Alhaji Yahaya Bello to rub insult on the injury inflicted on us as a community by the daylight robbery of the mandate freely given to Audu/Faleke joint ticket of which our son, Hon J A Faleke is the only living rightful custodian of that mandate.”

He said the health centre was “constructed with a collaborative effort of the federal and Ijumu Local Governments in 2007 during the tenure of Prof Eyitayo Lambo as the Hon Minister of Health”.

Meanwhile, the Audu/Faleke Political Organisation described the arrest of Olumoko “as crude and high handed”.

A statement signed on behalf of the group by its director, media and publicity, Duro Meseko, said the forceful manner the police were reported to have made their way into his residence “reminds us of the dark days of military junta”.

“Even if the police have a case against him, are there no civilised ways to invite him for questioning rather than resort to this rather crude and shameful method employed? We call on the state government and the leadership of the police to order the release of Hon. Olumoko without delay so as not to aggravate the situation,” he said.