Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has formally called upon the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene following the controversial arrest and prolonged detention of his media aide, Abiodun Adegoke Apesin. In a strongly worded statement released Monday, the Governor accused the Osun State Police Command of abandoning professional neutrality to serve as a "political tool" for the opposition.
The dispute centres on a defamation petition filed by Bola Oyebamiji, the governorship candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC). Following the petition, police took Mr Adegoke into custody, where he has reportedly remained for more than five days without being formally charged in a court of law.
Governor Adeleke decried the detention as a flagrant breach of fundamental human rights, noting that defamation is a bailable, non-capital offence under Nigerian law. According to the Governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the police have twice denied bail to the aide despite his legal team providing high-ranking civil servants as sureties, including officials at Grade Levels 10 and 12.
The Governor expressed deep concern over what he described as a systematic pattern of harassment targeting his administration's media team. He pointed to the recent detention of another aide, Iyiola Monsuru, as evidence of a burgeoning trend where law enforcement acts on verbal instructions from opposition leaders rather than formal legal invitations.
"The Osun Police Command seems to be losing every sense of professionalism since Mr Gothan resumed as CP," Governor Adeleke stated, referring to the State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gothan. He warned that such conduct undermines the peace and security of the state and gives the impression that the police are serving the interests of the APC and its chieftains.
Under the Nigerian Police Act 2020 and the 1999 Constitution, suspects must typically be charged or released within 24 to 48 hours. Legal experts often cite Section 35 of the Constitution to argue that prolonged detention for non-violent offences like libel—which many states have moved toward treating as a civil rather than criminal matter—constitutes an abuse of power.
The Governor concluded his petition by demanding the unconditional and immediate release of Mr Adegoke. He urged the Inspector General to direct Commissioner Gothan to return the command to a path of impartiality, emphasising that the police must serve the interest of all Nigerians within the confines of the law.
