The publisher of Saharareporters and prominent human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has said that he has an audio clip in which the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ebunoluwa Adelesi, made hateful comments about Isese activist, Adegbola Abdulazeez aka Tani Olorun.
“The Kwara State police commissioner expressed her hatred for Tani Olohu in a cell phone conversation that I now have,” the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress said during an interview with PUNCH online, on Tuesday.
Adegbola is on trial for allegedly defaming traditional and religious authorities in Kwara State.
“I am a staunch believer of the freedom of expression, freedom of thoughts, and the freedom of worship.
“I have followed what was done to Tani Olohun, and I have concluded that he was kidnapped and taken across state lines to appear before a kangaroo court.
“The commissioner of police is in bed with those who didn’t want him (Tani Olohun) to fully express himself, and there are plans to prevent the Isese worshippers from carrying out their activities in Kwara State.
“I believe what they did is wrong, and they have no right to charge him for the crimes they claimed he committed.”
Sowore also alleged that Adelesi had a personal vendetta against Tani Olohun.
‘He (Tani Olohun) should not have been arrested and charged before a magistrate court who again adjourned the case for 50 days over a bailable offence, that’s if he even committed any offence, and he did not.
“Tani Olohun was just expressing himself, if what he was doing was deemed wrong, he would have been penalised by Facebook where he shared these contents.
“Facebook has community rules, if he broke them, he would have been penalised but he wasn’t.
“They (Muslim clerics) capitalised on their relationship with the Kwara state commissioner of police, who had expressed her hatred for this particular person (Tani Olohun) in a cell phone conversation that I now have.
“They ganged up against him and abducted him from across state line with what they claim was a warrant of arrest from an Upper Area Court.
“An Upper Area Court doesn’t have jurisdiction across state lines. I’m not a lawyer but I know these things because I get frequently arrested by the government.
“I have asked for the removal of Adelesi as the police commissioner of Kwara State, she is not worthy to be a police officer.
“The CP in the tape with me was very upset. She was part and parcel of the conspiracy to arrest Tani Olohun from Oyo State and bring him to Kwara.
“Another guy made a Facebook post admitting that he lured Tani Olohun to the spot where he was eventually picked up.
“There’s no chance in hell Tani Olohun would have got justice in a court that has no jurisdiction to try his case, in the first place.
“They could have gone to Oyo State, sue him in a superior court, defamation is a civil offence.
“The one they are using that they call ‘defamation of character,’ is what the white people used in suppressing people under colonial rule.
“This law was struck out by the Court of Appeal in 1983. Justice Babatunde Belgore, now retired, was part of the panel that struck out that law.
“So they are abusing their powers to oppress people who are simply practicing their religion and this is why I stand with Tani Olohun and the oppressed in the country.”
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