House of Representatives member, Rep. Bamidele Salam, has condemned the alleged harassment, unlawful detention, and public humiliation of a local government worker in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, describing the role of the police in the incident as “shameful” and “a gross violation of the constitution.”
Rep. Salam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, reacted to a viral video showing a council employee, Mr. Taiwo Adebayo, being allegedly intimidated by politicians in the presence of police officers at the council secretariat.
In a statement on Tuesday, the lawmaker accused some politicians, allegedly acting with the backing of the police, of abusing their power and undermining the rule of law in the administration of local governments in the state.
He said his findings showed that Adebayo, an administrative staff member of the council, was on lawful duty, acting on a directive by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) following the resumption of work after an 11-month strike.
Rep. Salam added that the staff was in possession of official files relating to the retirement process of some council staff and was carrying out his duties under the instructions of his superiors.
“The dehumanising treatment of citizen Adebayo by a politician in the presence of law enforcement agents, supervised by the divisional police officer in Egbedore Local Government, is despicable, condemnable and outrightly unconstitutional,” the lawmaker said.
He alleged that the politician seen in the video supervising the detention and humiliation of the staff was Mr. Issa Akinwale, whom he said had been removed from office as council chairman by judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
Rep. Salam further accused the police of conniving with some All Progressives Congress (APC) politicians to illegally occupy council secretariats across the state in defiance of court orders.
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He called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately withdraw police officers from what he described as “illegal duties” in local government secretariats in Osun State, and ensure that officers involved in the incident were sanctioned.
“I call for the immediate release of the staff and the offering of due apologies to him by the police,” he said, adding that continued police involvement in partisan politics posed a serious threat to democracy, judicial authority, and citizens’ rights.
The lawmaker stressed that security agencies must remain neutral and uphold court judgments rather than aid in the violation.
It will be recalled that both the Federal High Court in Osogbo and the Court of Appeal in Akure had nullified the October 2022 local government elections in Osun, ruling that they were conducted in breach of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.
The appellate court also upheld the election of new council chairmen in a fresh poll held on February 22, 2025, but Salam alleged that the police had frustrated the enforcement of the judgments.
He urged the police leadership to act swiftly to restore public confidence in the force and protect the rights of citizens at the grassroots.
