Reps To Investigate Security Situation In Osun

Reps To Investigate Security Situation In Osun

The House of Representatives is wading into the security situation in Osun State and has resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to carry out an investigation.

The resolution of the House comes after considering a motion from Honourable Bamidele Salam, calling for urgent intervention to avoid further crisis in the state.

The House is also asking the security agencies to ensure that peace is restored in the state.

The resolution by the House follows the killing of at least six people on Monday in a crisis triggered by a contentious Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating All Progressives Congress (APC)-elected local government chairmen and councillors in Osun State.

The attempted takeover of the local governments by the sacked APC chairmen and councillors sparked resistance in places like Oshogbo, the state capital, Ikire and Irewole local government areas of the state, leading to the death of one of the reinstated council chairmen, Remi Abbas and others.

The ruling PDP and the opposition APC are trading blame over the crisis, with both parties accusing each other of fomenting trouble.

National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru and the Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, were both guests on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

While Senator Basiru called the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the state, Alimi rejected the call and accused the APC of deliberately causing trouble to destabilise the state.

Responding to a question on what the solution to the current political crisis in Osun State should be, Senator Basiru said, “I will suggest that perhaps it will be necessary for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency. It has gotten to that stage where hapless people coming from farms are attacked by uncontrollable PDP thugs.

But Alimi rejected the call for a state of emergency, saying, “I call on our amiable president to reject the call of Honourable Bashiru and his cohorts. That is exactly what they are targeting, they deliberately caused mayhem in this state.

“We are going to publish the names of our members that have been killed. There is no court of appeal that restored them, we urge them to toe the line of peace.”