A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Bamidele Salam, has condemned the harassment, unlawful detention and public humiliation of a local government worker in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, describing the involvement of the Nigeria Police Force as unconstitutional and deeply troubling.
Reacting to a viral video and photographs circulating on social media, Salam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, accused certain politicians, allegedly acting with police backing, of abusing power and undermining the rule of law within local government administration in the state.
In a strongly worded statement, the lawmaker called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to take immediate corrective action, including the withdrawal of police officers from what he described as illegal duties at Osun State local government secretariats.
According to Salam, the victim, Mr Taiwo Adebayo, an administrative staff member of Egbedore Local Government, was on lawful duty following a directive by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) for workers to resume after an 11-month strike. He explained that Adebayo was in possession of official files related to the retirement process of some local government staff and was acting on the instructions of his superiors.
Salam alleged that Adebayo was falsely detained, interrogated and humiliated under the supervision of a politician, Mr Issa Akinwale, in the presence of the Divisional Police Officer in the area, Mrs Tawakalitu Ogunniyi, and other police personnel. He noted that Akinwale had previously been removed from office as chairman of the local government by judgments of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, yet was allegedly occupying the council secretariat with the connivance of the police.
“The dehumanising treatment of Mr Adebayo by a politician in the presence of law enforcement officers is despicable, condemnable and outrightly unconstitutional,” Salam said, calling for the immediate release of the staff member and a formal apology from the Nigeria Police Force.
The lawmaker further accused politicians of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of illegally capturing local government administration in Osun State with police support, in defiance of court judgments. He urged the Inspector General of Police to uphold the rule of law by withdrawing officers from partisan activities in local government secretariats across the state.
Salam warned that continued police involvement in local government politics poses a serious threat to democracy, judicial authority and citizens’ rights, stressing that security agencies must remain neutral and enforce court decisions rather than aid their violation.
He recalled that the Federal High Court in Osogbo and the Court of Appeal in Akure had nullified the local government chairmen elected in October 2022 for violating provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The Court of Appeal, he added, also upheld the election of new council chairmen conducted on February 22, 2025, judgments which he said the police had yet to fully enforce.
