The investigation into the killing of a police inspector in Akure, Ondo State, has sparked allegations of widespread arrests and extortion by security operatives across the state capital.
The inspector, recently transferred from the Anti-Cultism Unit to the B-Division Police Station, was stabbed to death during a disturbance at Oke Arata, near Arakale. Eyewitnesses linked the attack to suspected members of the Eiye and Aye confraternities, identifying the alleged assailants as Oladapo Oluwaseun (also known as “Choco Milo”), Shina, and Y2K. Some of the suspects have since been arrested.
However, residents in communities including Odige, Oke Aro, Oke Ijebu, NEPA, Idi Agba and surrounding areas claim police operatives have since embarked on indiscriminate raids, arresting youths and other residents without evidence connecting them to the crime. Witnesses allege people were picked up from homes, business places and streets.
There are also accusations that detainees were asked to pay as much as ₦100,000 to secure their release. Sources fear the murder investigation is being used to justify extortion, despite the arrest of key suspects.
Credible accounts suggest that some arrested individuals are currently being held at the B-Division Police Station, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and other tactical units under the Ondo State Police Command. The police have not yet issued a statement responding to the allegations.
SaharaReporters previously reported that “Choco Milo,” one of the suspects in the inspector’s killing, was among those accused of attacking protesters, including activist Omoyele Sowore, during the June 12 pro-democracy demonstrations in Akure. Sowore had alleged collaboration between police officers and thugs during the protest.
In September, the Ondo State Government appointed Oluwaseun and four others as coordinators of commercial tricycle operators in Akure South Local Government Area, an appointment documented in a letter signed by the governor’s Special Adviser on Union Matters and Special Duties, Bola Taiwo.
