A Blogger Based in Osun State, Adabanija Kamorudeen, has recounted how he was detained illegally by the Nigeria Police Force over his social media post, exposing the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
In a statement issued on his X page on Tuesday, the blogger mentioned that in a post he made in September, he exposed how Oyetola reportedly shared bags of rice meant as palliative as souvenirs for his 70th birthday party.
He wrote, “Precisely in October this year 2024, there was a post that I made on my page here concerning the palliative rice that was widely reported by all newspapers in Nigeria where the president was reported to have given each minister 1200 bags of rice for onward distributions in their respective state in Nigeria.
“Having waited for when our state (Osun) share of rice would be shared to the people of the state but, nothing was forthcoming. On September 30, 2024, our honourable minister representing Osun in the federal cabinet, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola marked his 70th birthday and I watched a video of where rice is being given to some selected loyalists of the honorable minister and I was triggered to put up a post to that effect and I wrote.
“Did you know that the rice our president gave as palliative to each minister; Oyetola used as birthday gifts for his loyalists.”
He said the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force stormed his place of business to arrest him four days after his post was made.
He continued: “After this post, on 3rd of October, about four days after, I saw some police officers numbering about five come to my shop on that fateful Thursday and arrested me based on a petition that was written against me by Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola.
“I slept four days in police headquarters before I was left off the hook on the following Monday. Before I was released, I was made to tender public apologies on my Facebook page and as well do a newspaper publication on “The Nation newspaper” which was published as a condition to allow the matter to slide.”
Adabanija said the witch-hunting from the Nigerian police did not stop.
He said the security operatives continued to monitor his digital content and activities and eventually rearrested him after he praised the incumbent administration of Ademola Adeleke for paying the backlog salaries of state workers which the government of Oyetola refused to pay.
He continued, “After all the conditions have been met, the case was withdrawn and I became a free man but since this day, I was released, I have been on their watchlist as they continue monitoring all my Facebook postings through spies.
“On Monday, November 15, I received a call from a police officer (name withheld) with instruction that I should report myself at the police headquarters again (Anti-Kidnapping Squad) the next day, which I did and guess what? Another issue has come up again which has to do with another Facebook post.
“This time around, it was about the backlogs of salary owed Osun workers by the previous administration led by Rauf Aregbesola and which his successor failed to pay but, which the present administration has started playing. In the said post, I praised governor Ademola Adeleke for paying the arrears which his predecessor in office failed to pay for four years.
“Mr Moses Lohor,who is the OC anti kidnapping Squad said I had breached the condition for my release for making the post and still mentioning Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola’s name in it even after he had warned me to desist from discussing anything that has to do with Oyetola on my page.
“At that junction, I vehemently disagreed with Mr Moses’s position with explanation that once someone has become a public figure like Alhaji Isiaka Adegboyega Oyetola, there is no way people won’t discuss him, most especially myself who is a public commentator.
“That day, I was detained again for another two days between November 16th to November 18th that the court paper was handed over to me. I was released on administrative bail with conditions that I will be showing up at state CID everyday by 9am until a date for my arraignment would be given and communicated to me.
“This was how I kept on reporting at state CID until Tuesday 26th of November when I was dragged before a Federal High Court uninformed by the police.
“The judge after requesting for my lawyer and I responded I wasn’t duly and properly informed before bringing me before the court on that day adjourned the case to December 12,” he added.
SAHARAREPORTER
