CSOs Demand Removal of Osun Anti-kidnapping OC
Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The Inspector General(IG) of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has been asked to direct the removal of the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Osun State Police Command, SP Moses Lohor, within seven days or face mass protests.
The police chief was also urged to immediately direct an urgent investigation into the shooting of the Chairman of Osun State Transport Management System (OSTMS), Nurudeen Iyanda, popularly known as Alowonle.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, spokesperson for the Concerned Civil Society Groups in the state, Comrade Stephen Olanrewaju, decried the arrest and shooting of the transport workers boss, alleging the involvement of political interests in the situation.
The groups also condemned the involvement of law enforcement agents, especially the police in the arrest of perceived political enemies of some political actors, saying the act is capable of truncating the peaceful coexistence of the state.
Olanrewaju said: “The inexcusable shooting of the Chairman of the Osun State Park Management System, Nurudeen lyanda Alowonle, by men of the Nigerian police anti-kidnapping squad headed by Moses Lohor in the early hours of Tuesday, November 19, 2024, is not only condemnable but unlawful and totally unacceptable.
“Before this particular shooting of Alowonle, there were widespread allegations of high- handedness, indiscriminate arrests, extortion, and unannounced killings by the same anti- kidnapping unit of the Osun Police Command led by Moses Lohor.
“Following the narrative surrounding the shooting of the park chairman as put out by the police themselves, one can easily pick holes and conclude that the incident was a direct and intentional attempt to eliminate lyanda Alowonle for obvious reasons.
“The claim that Alowonle attempted to escape and was shot cannot hold water because the victim was shot in the abdomen. Common sense dictates that a suspect trying to escape will ordinarily have his back facing the police and not the other way around.
“We demand the urgent intervention of the IG, Kayode Egbetokun, in thorough investigation of the matter and dispensation of justice to erring officers, especially the OC of the anti-kidnapping unit, SP Moses Lohor, whose leadership has been filled with cases of attacks on innocent citizens.
“We seek the immediate removal of Lohor. We recall that not quite long ago, some members of various political groups perceived to be against the current federal government were arrested on the orders of SP Lohor in connection with some political actors to silence opposition voices ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
“We wish to also urge the IG to caution his men in Osun against any form of extrajudicial killings witnessed in times past, as it can further disrupt the peace of the state. You will all recall that the #EndSARS protest was about the overzealousness of law enforcement agents. As peace-loving and law-abiding citizens of the state, we urge the police to maintain its constitutional role of maintaining law and order and securing the lives and property of the people.
“We also urge political actors to stop the usage of law enforcement agents to clamp down on soft targets, especially their perceived political enemies. We wish to remind them that politics is to serve the people. If politicians who seek to serve the people then become lawbreakers, police officers who swore to protect the Nigerian nation must resist every attempt to be used as agents of destruction.
“However, if Lohor is not removed within a week, we will embark on a mass protest that may lead to another round of #EndBadGovernance,” the civil society groups noted.
