The Imole Campaign Council praised the Nigerian Navy for maintaining impartiality during the Osun State election season, but simultaneously denounced the reported freeing of an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate previously detained with a weapon. In a Friday announcement, council representative Pelumi Olajengbesi addressed the situation surrounding Babatunde Festus Komolafe, an APC House of Assembly hopeful for Atakumosa East/West.
Reports indicate that Komolafe, known as BFK, was taken into custody by naval officers in his hometown of Ifewara this past Thursday. The council alleges that the candidate and his associates were intercepted during a routine inspection where a firearm was recovered from their campaign vehicle. This incident gained widespread attention after footage of the suspects circulated online.
According to the campaign group, the individuals were set free shortly after their detention due to influence exerted by prominent APC members. The council noted reports suggesting that the commanding officer was pressured to release the detainees and was subsequently sidelined. While the group lauded the Armed Forces for their general commitment to policing election-related unrest, they argued that releasing someone caught with an illegal firearm undermines the rule of law and encourages political violence.
The council further expressed concerns about a pattern of behavior, citing a separate incident from two weeks prior involving the rescue of individuals arrested for gunfire in Ile-Ife. They have formally requested that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu investigate the matter, asserting that all political figures must remain subject to legal consequences.
