Gunrunning: Controversy trails Osun LG boss’ arrest

Controversy is trailing the alleged arrest of a local government chairman in Osun State for gunrunning.

A police source and some members of the opposition party told journalists in Osogbo that the local government boss was arrested with 17 AK 47 rifles and 10 pump action guns with 50 cutlasses.

The police source said an executive secretary of a particular local government was yesterday arrested with a large number of guns and other dangerous weapons.

But the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, denied the claim.

“No local government chairman was arrested,” she said.

The Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said the police were empowered by the law to arrest and should therefore tell the public if they arrested anyone.

Oyatomi said APC was a peace loving party which relied on the people’s support to win the forthcoming election.

But the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohhamed Abubakar, to investigate the matter.

In a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday, Olaoluwa said, “Ahead of the August 9th governorship election, the PDP is calling on the Inspector-General of Police to beam his search light on Osun State because of the way the ruling party is stockpiling arms and ammunition.

“APC has been stockpiling arms and ammunition and to buttress this, a local government boss in the state (name withheld) is caught with arms and ammunition.

“It is unfortunate that a local government chairman could engage himself in such a criminal act.

“The PDP has been vindicated by the arrest of the APC chieftain because the ruling party has always been linked with violence.”