•Police currently investigating episode – Spokesperson
A special assistant to the Osun State Governor, Shakiru Babatunde, has allegedly staged a self-kidnap in a bid to extort money from some top government functionaries.
It was gathered that the incident occurred last Monday in Ede, Osun State.
The governor’s aide was appointed as a media assistant to the governor while he was in his 300 level and he is currently undertaking his mandatory National Youth Service Corps.
The Spokesperson to the State Governor, Olawale Rasheed, said the police are currently investigating the matter while the state government is also waiting for the outcome of the investigation for further action.
According to him, “Our attention has been drawn to a reported case of self-kidnapping by one of the governor’s media aides, Shakirulahi Babatunde. We immediately want the public to know that the police are investigating the matter without any pressure from the state government.”
“We are also strongly debunking the rumors making the rounds that the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, and other top government officials are working to prevent the police from investigating the case.”
“It would be recalled that when the media aide sent a text message stating that he had been kidnapped, an incident report was immediately lodged with the police under the instruction of the Chief of Staff.”
“The matter was further reported to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Osun State Police Command, which swung into action as a signal of transparency and readiness for law enforcement.”
“It was therefore a falsehood from the pit of hell to assert that the Chief of Staff or any state official was trying to prevent the police from conducting an investigation into a matter which the state government originally reported to the police service.”
“We categorically deny the fake news that there were attempts by state officials to bribe the police to sweep the matter under the carpet. Such reports are unfounded and baseless conjectures.”
“Nobody in the government is attempting to bribe the police, and the police have not received any kobo from state officials as libelously asserted in a publication.”
“We therefore call on members of the public to ignore any misinformation designed to tarnish the image of state officials or the police, as relevant police units are currently investigating the entire episode.”
“Governor Adeleke and top state officials are committed to transparency and law enforcement. No state official would therefore be involved in preventing law enforcement agencies from exercising their mandate,” he said.