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Adeleke Visits Osun's Erin Ijesha Waterfalls Amidst Public Concerns Credit: X|MrBanksOmishore
The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has convened a meeting of the State Security Council, following a disagreement over the assault allegedly suffered by personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the hands of some police operatives.
Recalled that the Osun Command of the NSCDC and the Nigeria Police Force, on Friday disagreed following an assault suffered by an NSCDC personnel while on guard duty in an estate in Abere community.
The NSCDC personnel, identified simply as Owoeye, said to have been assaulted was also detained by the police after the incident which occurred on Wednesday.
In some video clips that went viral, a man dressed in local Ankara print, but having a jacket on with the inscription POLICE boldly written, was seen assaulting a personnel of the NSCDC.
Also, in the video, the NSCDC officer was slapped by a man wearing a police jacket, while the assaulted man tried to disarm the assaulter.
In another video, background voices said many police operatives assaulted NSCDC the operative on guard duty at the Elizabeth Estate.
Reacting to the development, Osun State Governor in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed obtained in Osogbo on Saturday, said the state security meeting, scheduled for the new week, would assess and take action on recent security developments in the state including an open clash between some policemen and civil defence officials.
The governor, who tasked leaders of various security groups to enforce discipline and operational rules among their men and women, noted that rogue operations were increasing in the state.
The statement also said the Council meeting would receive briefings from various security agencies, as well as, top state officials led by the Deputy Governor, Prince Kola Adewusi who had intervened in the matter before its current escalation.
Expressing surprise at the open brawl between the two security agencies, Adeleke urged the services to strictly adhere to their codes of operations in the law enforcement process.
He also noted rising cases of police-civilian confrontations across the state, urging all service commanders to enforce discipline within their ranks and file to sustain the widely acknowledged civil-security cordial relationship in the state.
While warning against high-handedness in law enforcement, the governor further urged all stakeholders to avoid actions and inactions capable of jeopardising the records of Osun State as the most peaceful state in the federation.
“I task our commanders to enforce discipline and operational rules among their men and women. Rogue operations is increasing, civilian harassment is on the rise and now service-to-service confrontation is added. We must restore normalcy.
“All these matters of urgency will be tackled at the next security council meeting. Our Service Commanders have been wonderful. We must not relax in our quest to restore closer inter-agency partnership and collaboration,” the statement partly read.
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, has called on the Police Service Commission to investigate the alleged assault suffered by Osun NSCDC operative in the hands of some police personnel.
The group in a statement signed by its Osun State chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Olowu, frowned at the alleged brutality suffered by the NSCDC personnel and called “on all stakeholders in the Nigeria security system, Civil Society Organizations, and Non-Governmental Organizations, both local and international, to jointly pressure the Police Service Commission to embark on a thorough investigation into this matter, urging that the perpetrators be held accountable.”
