• Warns police to release arrested members
Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has asked the police to release its men arrested for apprehending the notorious Fulani warlord, Iskilu Wakili. The pan Yoruba group has also denied the Nigerian police statement that it killed someone and burnt down Wakili’s house
The Oyo State Coordinator of the OPC, Mr Rotimi Olumo, said this in an interview on Monday; that “failure to release the OPC members could cause crisis”.
Olumo said it was saddening that OPC arrived to help the police to do their job, and they turned around to arrest some of the volunteers who carried out the operation that led to Wakili’s arrest.
The OPC coordinator debunked the claims by the police that its members set the house of Wakili ablaze and that somebody was killed in the fire.
Olumo said his men did not torch Wakili’s building but blamed it on some members of the suspect’s gang who he said returned to the place and set it on fire to implicate the OPC men.
He believed everybody had expected the police to commend the team that arrested Wakili, but said they had shown they were not interested in arresting Wakili, and those troubling Ibarapa people.
He said, “The suspects have caused much pain to the people of Ibarapaland. Remember that Dr Fatai Aborode was killed there and many others. The police didn’t do anything about it. The police are now asking who our men took order from before going to capture Wakili.
“Who did Wakili take order from before terrorising Ibarapa people? Did the police give him the order to terrorise the innocent people? They said police should have followed them but we know that many policemen are work with criminals.
“If we told the police, they would have leaked the secret to Wakili and the operation would have been futile. That is the problem we are facing in Yorubaland.
“But if they do not release our men they arrested, there will be crisis. If they had done their job; if the soldiers and the police had been sent to arrest Wakili, our men would not have had any cause to go and be chasing Wakili about.”
Ifesinachi Nnabugwu reporting, Obinwannem News
