The three members were the ones who arrested the suspected Fulani warlord, Iskilu Wakili in Ibarapa town of the state.
The Oodua People's Congress (OPC), Oyo State Chapter has demanded the release of three of its members arrested and detained by Oyo State Police Command.
The three members were the ones who arrested the suspected Fulani warlord, Iskilu Wakili in Ibarapa town of the state.
Comrade Rotimi Olumo, Oyo State Coordinator of OPC made the call on Tuesday while addressing journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital.
This was contained in a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Wednesday by Sunday Igboho’s aide, Dapo Salami.
“The trio had earlier arrested Wakili who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the spate of kidnappings in Ibarapa area of the state. OPC members are law-abiding citizens of their state and did the necessary legal process in arresting Wakili,” the statement partly read.
Olumo stressed that “Wakili had constituted himself as a stronghold which Nigerian security operatives dare not enter his domain.
“We in the OPC seeing this, volunteered to go into the forest as a sort of assistance to the police and we went there successfully to arrest him. We handed him to the police.
“We, however, were surprised that the police turned around to pounce upon three of our members who had gone to honour the invitations extended to them by the police.”
Olumo went further to allege that “it has come to the knowledge of OPC that Wakili will soon be released from custody.”
“We are calling for the release of our members because they have done nothing wrongly in arresting a kidnapper. Their families are calling for their unconditional release.
“OPC like any other organisation in Yorubaland, even the majority of Nigerians are aware that the government at the centre is practising nepotism where the Fulani are shown today to be superior to other ethnic groups. We want the government to do a proper investigation,” the statement further said.
Olumo stated that “releasing Wakili can cause crises in the state and criminal activities have returned back to Ibarapa area. Wakili boys are fully on the ground in that region.
“We want Oyo State Government and traditional rulers in the South-West to intervene in this matter.”