Top media officials in the Osun State Government have approached the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, seeking the enforcement of their fundamental rights against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Nigeria Police Force over alleged intimidation and harassment.
Those listed as applicants in the suit include the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Kolapo Alimi; the Governor’s Spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed; and other senior media aides serving in the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The applicants, who filed the action on Friday, accused the police of persistently threatening their liberty and obstructing the lawful discharge of their official duties. They alleged that there were plans to arrest and detain some of them under what they described as politically motivated circumstances.
According to court documents, the state officials claimed that operatives allegedly linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC) had made repeated attempts to deploy the police to suppress, intimidate and silence government media aides ahead of the August 8 governorship election in the state.
They further cited recent arrests, open threats, and what they described as a pattern of intimidation by certain police officers, arguing that these actions amounted to a breach of their constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights.
An affidavit in support of the suit was deposed to by one of the applicants, Mr. Hezekiah Oladele Olabamiji, a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor. He accused some elements within the police force of allegedly acting in concert with unnamed politicians, particularly from the APC, to harass, intimidate and unlawfully arrest Osun State officials.
The applicants urged the court to intervene to forestall further violations of their rights, insisting that the action became necessary in view of rising political tension as the governorship election approaches.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the police authorities as of press time were unsuccessful.
More details later.
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