Follow Us on Google
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Senator representing Osun West, Olalere Oyewumi, has rejected the police report linking him to the recent violence in Ikire, calling on Governor Ademola Adeleke to set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry.
The police had paraded one of the suspects arrested during a rescue mission, Sikiru Adedeji, who referred to the lawmaker as his “boss.”
However, speaking on Friday on behalf of the families of the four victims killed at the Naira and Kobo Junction in Ikire, Senator Oyewumi strongly repudiated the police narrative, accusing authorities of blaming the victims and shielding the perpetrators.
“We watched the police version of events with deep sadness. We completely reject this attempt to twist the facts to exonerate the police officers involved in these fatal extrajudicial killings,” Oyewumi said.
He criticized the police investigation as one-sided, noting that key witnesses present at the scene were never interviewed before a verdict was declared.
He also alleged that suspects were coerced into making false confessions.
Raising key inconsistencies in the official report, the lawmaker questioned the presence and actions of the local Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at the scene.
He noted that the park was peaceful prior to the arrival of the police, questioning why officers opened fire on unarmed civilians and how those civilians could have allegedly disarmed six armed officers.
He further suggested the DPO’s arrival coincided with threats by opposition political thugs to forcibly take over local motor parks.
Dismissing attempts to implicate him, the Senator emphasized that his intervention actually prevented further escalation.
“As a community leader, Senator Oyewumi assisted the police in calming a situation that could have degenerated into widespread violence.
“He prevailed on residents not to take the law into their own hands and helped the Commissioner of Police navigate the troubled areas. Attempting to drag his name into this matter is both uncharitable and unethical,” the text read.
Oyewumi urged the Osun State Government to expedite the setup of an independent panel to ensure justice for the deceased and bring the officers responsible to account.
