13th March, 2016
The senator representing Ondo North, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice has warned the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, to immediately halt his continued deployment of compromised police officers to incessantly intimidate and harass members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Kayode Adeniyi, the senator viewed the resort to using police officers to intimidate APC members as unwise tactics of a frightened leader who has begun a journey to political oblivion.
“For instance, members of the immediate family of APC chieftain and Director-General of Technical Aid Corps, Dr. Pius Osunyikanmi, were recently harassed, intimidated and arrested by men of the anti-kidnapping squad on the order of Governor Olusegun Mimiko. The officers falsely claimed that guns, police belts and other items were found on the innocent citizens whose only sin is the association with the APC family in Ondo State. However, the same set of persons were arraigned and charged to court for assault. Assault on who? At where? When? These are yet unanswered questions.
“Also, supporters of Senator Boroffice at Ifedore and other parts of the state have been subjects of brutal harassment and maltreatment from Governor Mimiko’s agents at the Ondo State Police Command in recent times.
“The new tactics of Governor Mimiko is to deploy the anti-kidnapping squad, anti-cultism squad and other special formations of the Ondo State Police Command to intimidate, arrest and possibly silence principal leaders of the APC in Ondo State.
“It is understandable that the governor is yet to recover from the shock and pain occasioned by the defection of his hitherto close allies to the progressive fold of the APC. However, intimidation and harassment of APC members can not help his declining popularity or float his sinking party, it can only dim his fate and give the people an additional reason to vote the PDP out of power in Ondo State.
“We, therefore, as a people, remind Mr Governor that power has changed hands. And consequently warn him that his deliberate refusal to thread the path of honour and law can only force the people to set the instrumentality of law in order to ensure the governor pays severely for flagrant abuse of office and other unconstitutional actions of his.
“The Ondo State Police Command is warned against getting directly involved in politics. They should leave politics for politicians. The Police must strive to maintain its neutrality and professionalism, and abstain from all issues that will call its neutrality to question. As they are aware, the APC government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces, will not tolerate impunity and lawlessness from men in uniform, the statement read.