Osun Govt Warns Police Against Political Pressure Over alledged Lameco Banditry Suspect

The Osun State Government has cautioned the state police command against yielding to alleged political pressure aimed at securing the release of a suspected bandit linked to the Lameco community, warning that any attempt to manipulate the investigation could undermine public safety and the fight against criminality.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Hon. Kolapo Alimi, expressed concern over reports suggesting that influential political figures were mounting pressure on law enforcement authorities to release the suspect on psychiatric grounds.

The government’s reaction followed allegations by a civil society organisation, the Public Safety

Accountability Group, which accused some prominent chieftains of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to influence police authorities to grant the suspect bail.

The group described the move as an effort to frustrate investigations into what it called a significant breakthrough in dismantling a criminal network.

The police command had earlier confirmed that the suspect was undergoing psychiatric evaluation and disclosed that an herbalist had reportedly treated him for mental illness over the past ten years.

Reacting to the development, the state government urged the police to remain professional and resist any action capable of politicising a sensitive security matter. It warned that any perceived compromise could embolden criminal elements and erode public confidence in law enforcement institutions.

The government demanded answers to several questions surrounding the case, including the whereabouts of the medical report confirming the suspect’s psychiatric condition, the identity of the herbalist said to have treated him for a decade, and whether APC chieftains had indeed visited police formations or sent emissaries to facilitate his release.

The government questioned why the police had remained silent on the status of the suspect until concerns were raised publicly by the civil society organisation, insisting that transparency was necessary to dispel suspicion and maintain public trust.

Calling for heightened scrutiny of the matter, the state government drew the attention of the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to the controversy, urging them to ensure that due process is followed.

The government tasked the Osun State Commissioner of Police with preventing what it described as the ongoing politicisation of a delicate security issue with implications for the state’s fight against banditry and organised crime.