A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun loyal to interior minister Rauf Aregbesola has staged a protest in Osogbo.

The group known as “The Osun Progressives (TOP)” Wednesday carried placards with different inscriptions asking for the removal of the state police commissioner Wale Olokode.

Some of the placards read: “CP, Stop being Gov. Oyetola’s stooge”, “Freedom of Association is not a crime”, “Osun Police, stop being biassed”, “IGP call Osun Police to order”.

The protesters went to the police command’s headquarters in Osogbo in buses and motorcycles with their placards to press home their demands.

Addressing journalists at the headquarters, the factional chairman, Rasak Saninsile, said the protest became necessary after his group studied the police commissioner’s disposition to political issues in the state.

Mr Saninsile said that the command’s position on the attack on Mr Aregbesola, as contained in its statement on February 15, was absurd and unbelievable.

“It is sad that the command has taken its bias to the deepest level of calling a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria some absurd names.

“It is also a sad tale that the command, without any of its men in the minister’s motorcade, concluded that the minister brought in hoodlums to disturb the peace of the state,” he said.

Reacting to the allegations, DCP Valentine Kanayo told the protesters that the allegations were untrue but promised that the protesters’ demands would be examined.

The state police had claimed that Mr Aregbesola’s security escort recklessly fired gunshots to terrorise Osun residents after unknown hoodlums attacked the convoy of the former Osun governor at about 6:40 p.m. around the Old Garage area in Osogbo.

(NAN)