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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Osun State Government has denied interfering in the police investigation into an alleged staged kidnapping involving Shakirulahi Babatunde, a media aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Babatunde was arrested by the police for allegedly orchestrating his own abduction.
In a statement issued yesterday , the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said law enforcement agencies were conducting the investigation freely without pressure or interference from the state government.
Rasheed also dismissed claims that senior government officials were attempting to shield the suspect or frustrate the investigation.
“We strongly debunk the rumours making the rounds that the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, and other top government officials are working to prevent the police from investigating the case,” Rasheed stated.
Clarifying the sequence of events, the spokesperson said the state government itself initiated police involvement in the matter.
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According to him, when Babatunde initially sent a text message claiming that he had been abducted, the Chief of Staff immediately directed that an official incident report be filed.
He said the case was subsequently transferred to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Osun State Police Command, demonstrating the administration’s commitment to transparency and due process.
“It is therefore a complete falsehood to assert that the Chief of Staff or any state official tried to prevent the police from conducting an investigation into a matter that the state government originally reported,” Rasheed said.
He also dismissed allegations of bribery as unfounded, saying: “We categorically deny the fake news claiming state officials attempted to bribe the police to sweep the matter under the carpet. Nobody in the government has offered a bribe, and the police have received no money from state officials as maliciously alleged.”
Rasheed reaffirmed that Governor Adeleke and his cabinet remained committed to law enforcement and transparency, adding that the state government would await the final police report before taking further administrative action.
He urged members of the public to disregard what he described as deliberate misinformation aimed at tarnishing the reputation of state officials and the police command.
