The Accord Party has accused the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Disu, of ordering the continued detention of one of its members, Popoola Alaba, despite claims that investigators found no evidence linking him to any criminal offence.
The allegation was made by the spokesperson of the Accord Party Governorship Campaign Council in Osun State, Pelumi Olajengbesi, during an interview on ARISE News while reacting to the arrest of Alaba amid rising political tensions ahead of the Osun governorship election.
Olajengbesi maintained that the accusations levelled against the party member, including claims that he was found in possession of firearms, were not supported by facts uncovered during the investigation.
According to him, Alaba was carrying out political mobilisation activities when he was arrested and was not found with any weapon or incriminating material.
“Those allegations are embarrassing to the knowledge of the Nigerian Police. The man that was arrested was arrested with nothing. He was arrested at the point where he was sensitising his supporters,” Olajengbesi said.
The Accord chieftain questioned why the police had not publicly displayed any evidence to support the allegations made against the detained party member.
He argued that if firearms or any unlawful items had indeed been recovered, such evidence should have been presented to Nigerians.
“The Nigerian Police should have ordinarily come out and shown to the public the evidence or whatever material they had relating to possession of firearms,” he added.
Olajengbesi further alleged that members of the party’s campaign council held discussions with officers handling the matter and were informed that no petition had been filed against Alaba.
He also claimed that investigators disclosed that nothing incriminating was recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
According to him, the continued detention of the party member was based solely on directives allegedly issued from the highest level of the police hierarchy.
“We’ve met with the officers in charge of the investigation and they have said to us that there’s no petition against the man and nothing was found on him, but it is just very unfortunate that they have instructions from the Inspector-General of Police to detain him until further notice,” he alleged.
The Accord Party spokesman described the development as disturbing and called on the police authorities to make public any evidence in their possession.
He also challenged journalists and civil society groups to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the arrest.
“That’s a sad experience we have today in Osun State and I challenge the Nigerian Police, and I challenge the press, to investigate or come out and show to the public the firearms or the unlawful possession they claimed they found with him,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force is yet to officially respond to the fresh allegations made by the Accord Party regarding the alleged directive from the Inspector-General of Police.
However, this latest accusation is not the first time the Accord Party has raised concerns over the treatment of its members in Osun State ahead of the governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026.
On July 27, leaders of the party publicly alleged that several of their members were being targeted through arrests and intimidation by security agencies in the state.
The party specifically cited the arrest of Popoola Alaba, who is also a candidate for the House of Representatives seat representing Ijesa South Federal Constituency, as part of what it described as a troubling pattern.
Speaking at the time, federal lawmaker Bamidele Salam expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding Alaba’s arrest and questioned the basis for the police action.
The party argued that the arrest had heightened fears among its members as campaigns intensified ahead of the election.
Similarly, on July, the Accord Party accused the Osun State Police Command of failing to maintain neutrality in the build-up to the poll.
State Chairman of the party, Pastor Victor Akande, alleged that some party members were being subjected to harassment while individuals linked to violent incidents were allegedly not receiving the same level of scrutiny.
Akande called on the Inspector-General of Police to ensure fairness and professionalism among security personnel deployed for election duties.
He said the police leadership should guarantee that investigations and arrests were carried out without political considerations.
However, the Osun State Police Command rejected the allegations and insisted that its operations were guided strictly by intelligence and available evidence.
Police spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, defended the command’s actions and stated that arrests were not influenced by politics.
“Arrests were not carried out based on media reports, political statements or social media allegations, but on evidence capable of sustaining prosecution in court,” he said.
The command also maintained that several suspects linked to breaches of public peace had already been arrested and investigated, while other cases remained under investigation.
