By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Residents of Kosofe Local Government have strongly condemned the arrest and detention of Hon. Ganiu Oyebanjo on the orders of the council chairman, Moyosore Ogunlewe. Oyebanjo, a whistleblower, had accused the chairman of mismanaging public funds amounting to several billion naira.
Seun Gbogboade, a resident of Kosofe, expressed outrage over the chairman’s alleged use of intimidation and harassment instead of addressing the allegations legally.
“Why must the LG chairman intimidate Ganiu Oyebanjo by using the Nigerian police to arrest him just because he wrote a petition against him and his associates for fraudulent activities? This is an abuse of power. If the chairman believes the petition is false, he is a lawyer and should know the legal steps to take instead of using law enforcement to silence critics,” Gbogboade stated.
He further argued that, as a legal professional, Ogunlewe should have pursued a defamation lawsuit against Oyebanjo (also known as GOCO) rather than resorting to police action.
“The local government chairman can sue GOCO for a billion naira in a defamation case if he believes he has been falsely accused. But using the police to intimidate whistleblowers is undemocratic and should be rejected,” he added.
Gbogboade also noted that an invitation by anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC or ICC does not automatically imply guilt.
“Being invited for questioning does not mean a person is guilty. As long as the chairman can defend himself, he has nothing to fear. However, resorting to police intimidation instead of legal means raises suspicion that he may not be entirely innocent of the allegations,” he concluded.
The arrest has sparked concerns among Kosofe residents, with many calling for transparency and due process in handling corruption allegations.
