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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Osun State Government has countered the police command’s claim that a suspected bandit currently in detention is mentally unstable.
In a statement issued by the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, yesterday, the police said: “On June 3, 2026, a man alleged by members of the public to be a suspected bandit was arrested along Lameco–Oke-Fia Road, Osogbo. He was taken to Osogbo Area Command, Oke-Fia, and items reportedly recovered included a knife, an army camouflage trouser, local charms and other clothing materials.”
The police disclosed that the suspect displayed signs of mental instability during investigations, prompting the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
According to the police, further investigations identified the suspect as Adebayo Sunday, 38, while family members confirmed his identity and a native doctor allegedly disclosed that he had treated the man for a mental-related condition for over 10 years.
Ojelabi explained that the suspect was first taken to the Police Clinic and later referred to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Similarly, the police said some persons arrested in Imesi-Ile over alleged banditry claims were later found not to be involved in banditry but in a dispute over farmland, described as malicious damage.
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The suspects were identified as Abdullahi Umaru, Usman Bello and Umaru Aliyu, whom police described as cattle rearers who had lived in the community for over 20 years.
According to the police, a prima facie case of malicious damage was established, but the complainants later indicated willingness to settle the matter amicably and subsequently withdrew the complaint.
However, the Osun government, through the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, warned the police against yielding to political pressure and questioned what it described as the unsubstantiated psychiatric narrative surrounding the suspect.
The government also urged the police to avoid actions that could embolden criminal elements during this period.
It asked the police to provide answers to three specific questions regarding the Lameco suspect: Where is the medical report confirming the alleged psychiatric condition? Who is the herbalist and where is his statement claiming to have treated the suspect for the past 10 years? Is it true that APC chieftains visited the police or sent emissaries to secure the suspect’s release?
The government urged the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to take note of the development and warned the Osun Commissioner of Police against politicising what it described as a sensitive security matter.
