Ile Ife Killings: You Are Sectional , Biased Afenifere Accuses Police
The Pan Yoruba Socio-Political group, Afenifere, has accused the Police of protecting sectional interest with the arraignment of the suspects arrested in Ile-Ife, Osun State over the mayhem that occurred between the Yoruba and Hausa communities at a Federal High Court Abuja.
The group, through its Spokesperson, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said it is only the High Court in Osun State that has the power under the Nigeria’s constitution to try any case relating to disputes between communities and not the Federal High Court.
Briefing journalists after an emergency meeting held in the house of the leader of the organization, Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, the Ondo State capital, the group also announced the setting up of a seven-man panel to tour the southwest states to collate the destruction done to the farmlands in the zone by the Fulani herdsmen.
Dignitaries who attended the meeting include Basorun Sehinde Arogbofa, Senator Iyiola Omisore ,Dr. Akin Onigbinde,Chief Ayo Adebanjo ,Chief Olu Falae, Chief Femi Aluko ,Supo Sonibare, Kole Omololu among others.
The group ,after the meeting that lasted for four hours condemned the way the Police had handled the investigation, arrest and proposed prosecution of the suspects involved in the crisis.
While commending the Osun State government for setting up a Panel of Inquiry to investigate the crisis ,Afenifere flayed the Police for alleged one-side arrest and investigation of the mayhem.
Odumakin who read the communiqué of the meeting said “ Afenifere condemned equivocally the arrest being made by police command. This is to intimidate, harass, coarse, ridicule and dehumanize the Yoruba elements in Ile ife who have been called suspects and who are arrested at ile ife and transported and handed from ile ife to Abuja and paraded on television screens by the police as criminals and pronouncing them as guilty without any fair hearing.
“Nigeria still claim to operate the federal system of government and despite the unitarilisation in the country, there is still an entity called Osun state constitution. The office of the Attorney General of the state is given define constitutional functions under section 211 of 1999 constitution to initiate, commence and discontinue criminal proceedings.
“It is the chief law officer of the state. The people arrested, tried and convicted by the police at Abuja are not be arraigned before any court by the office of the Attorney General of Osun state.
“Besides, there is a police command in Osun state which ordinarily should have taken charge of the investigation. After the investigation, the police in Osun state should have forwarded their report to the prosecution office in Osun state for advice and possible prosecution if need be.
“Our position is that those that have been criminalized by the police have not committed any treasonable felony or accused of any financial crime to warrant the federal government taking over the investigation and possible trial and eventual arraignment at the Federal High Court.
“The entire incident happened in Ile Ife and it is only within Osun State that those arrested can be detained, investigated and prosecuted if need be. Afenifere is not unaware that even if a treasonable felony has been committed in Osun State, the Police cannot charge the suspect outside the state. Above all, the police as a federal institution, belong to all Nigerians should desist from adding any tribal or any coloration to the unfortunate incident.”.