POLICE BRUTALITY: OSUN CIVIL SOCIETY DEMANDS REMOVAL OF POLICE COMMISSIONER, WALE OLOKODE – RIGHTS MONITORS


The Osun State Civil Society Coalition (OCSC) has called for immediate redeployment of the state Commissioner of Police as the only solution to endless violations of people’s fundamental rights in the state. This demand came as a result of latest case of police brutality in Osun State where a police officer allegedly shoot at a Journalist and a teenager in Osogbo the state capital of Osun State. According to the state Chairman of the Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Comrade Waheed Lawal, the only alternative to stop police brutality in the state is by removing the commissioner of Police Mr. Wale Olokode
According to the OCSC, Olokode has demonstrated ineffectiveness in the management of the security of lives and property of the people of the state, with total disregard for the fundamental human rights of the people.
The Chairman of the OCSC, Comrade Waheed Lawal, in a press statement made available to Rights Monitors, he accused Olokode of incapability to manage policemen under him, saying the police in Osun have not learned from the #EndSARS protest.


He said: “After the last #EndSARS protest across Nigeria in which Osun State was actively involved, police brutality, intimidation, harassment of innocent citizens and extrajudicial killing have continued unabated in Osun.
“As of today, we have a record of about five persons killed extra-judicially by the police under the leadership of CP Wale Olokode.
“Today, the men of the Nigeria Police Force in Osun State are at it again, as they shot a journalist, Mr. Toba Adedeji, a correspondent of The Nation Newspaper, alongside a primary school pupil whose name is yet to be known, in Osogbo this afternoon.
“The two innocent people were shot at a rally held by some people who were protesting the killing of a young man, Abiola Afolabi by the police. Abiola Afolabi was shot dead by the police on April 4, 2022. He was buried today.
“As if that is not enough, the police went ahead to arrest another journalist, Fatai Akanji, for performing his lawful duty.
“We condemn the action of the police and the halfhearted attitude of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wale Olokode, who appeared helpless on the misbehavior of his men.
“The Commissioner of police and his men have demonstrated enough total disregard for the fundamental human rights of the people of the state.
We call on the Inspector General of Police to redeploy Olokode from Osun. He is a poor manager of policemen and security system of Osun.
However, if after 24hours the police do not meet our demand we shall mobilize the public and commence actions against the Nigerian police.