The House of Representatives has directed Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and Adeola Ajayi, Director-General (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS), to restore peace in Osun State.
The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution at plenary on Wednesday, following the acceptance of a motion co-sponsored by Bamidele Salam and eight other Osun state lawmakers.
On Monday, violence erupted at various LG secretariats in Osun state following a dispute between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Six persons were reportedly killed during the clash, including Remi Abbas, a former chairman of Irewole LGA.
The crisis erupted after the sacked APC LG chairpersons attempted to return to office, claiming to have been reinstated by the court.
The PDP claimed that the February 10 judgment of the court of appeal in Akure, Ondo state, did not reinstate the sacked chairpersons and councillors elected in 2022, while the APC insisted it did.
The Osun state caucus in the national assembly and Ademola Adeleke, governor of the state, had accused Gboyega Oyetola, minister of marine and blue economy, and the APC of backing the resumption of the sacked LG chairpersons.
Adeleke had asked residents to avoid local government secretariats and allow security agencies to protest the facilities.
Moving the motion on Wednesday, Salam said the former LGA chairpersons are “breaking the gates” of the council secretariats to “forcefully take over the government”.
He said the security operatives must take proactive steps to forestall violence and prevent the situation from escalating.
“If the current trend of self-help by political actors is not nipped in the bud, it might encourage citizens to do the same in the face of perceived rights and privileges,” he said.
Salam warned that the crisis may “snowball into a free for all” unless urgent actions are taken by relevant authorities.
“The preventable violence which happened in Osun has led to the death of six persons while scores of others have suffered severe injuries and presently receiving treatment in various hospitals,” he said.
“Worried that if prompt action is not taken against this lawlessness and arbitrariness, it may escalate into more serious security challenges in Osun.”
Lawmakers voted in support of the motion when it was put to a voice vote by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house.
The house resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter and report back for further legislative action.
