By: Peter Emmanuel |
The Osun State Police Command has released the state Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation, Mayowa Adejoorin, on bail after he was arrested in connection with a shooting during an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Ilesa.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday, left at least four people injured, including a 14-year-old boy identified as Ilesanmi. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, while no death had been reported at the time of filing this report.
The shooting reportedly occurred after some Accord Party chieftains and their escorts arrived in an area where APC supporters were holding a rally, leading to a confrontation and sporadic gunshots.
Adejoorin was arrested at the scene alongside an Amotekun operative who was allegedly involved in the shooting and was taken to the police command for questioning as investigations continued.
The police said several exhibits, including spent cartridges and caps allegedly belonging to Amotekun personnel, were recovered from the scene.
Police Investigate Ilesa Rally Shooting
Confirming the arrest, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said officers responded immediately after receiving reports of gunfire at the rally.
He said the police moved to the scene, secured the area and recovered exhibits as part of efforts to establish what happened.
Ojelabi said Adejoorin was taken to the command for questioning, but the police had not announced any formal charge against him.
He later confirmed that the commissioner had been released on bail, while the status of the Amotekun operative arrested alongside him remained unclear.
An eyewitness, Kola Adeoti, alleged that the injured teenager was at his mother’s shop when a stray bullet struck him in the thigh.
Adeoti further alleged that personnel of a state-based security outfit accompanying the Accord Party chieftains fired towards APC supporters. The claim could not be independently verified.
Adeleke Condemns Arrest, Alleges Political Witch-Hunt
Meanwhile, the Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, condemned Adejoorin’s arrest and questioned the circumstances surrounding his detention.
Speaking at the Imole Media Centre in Osogbo, the council’s spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, described the arrest as disturbing and alleged that it was an attempt to intimidate prominent Accord Party leaders in the state.
Olajengbesi also alleged that the arrest was part of a wider pattern of politically motivated arrests targeting Accord Party leaders and supporters, particularly in Ijesaland.
He accused the APC of seeking to weaken the Accord Party’s political structure ahead of the August 15 governorship election. The APC had not responded to the allegation at the time of reporting.
The campaign council called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the conduct of the Osun State Police Command and the state Commissioner of Police.
It also demanded that the police disclose the legal basis for Adejoorin’s arrest, the offence he was suspected of committing and the evidence linking him to the shooting.
“We demand answers. On what basis was Hon Mayowa Adejoorin arrested? What offence has he committed, and what evidence exists against him?” Olajengbesi said.
The council demanded Adejoorin’s immediate release and maintained that Accord Party members would not be intimidated ahead of the election.
The police, however, said investigations into the shooting and the circumstances surrounding the rally continues.
