Ekiti elders have raised the alarm over the swapping of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, with his counterpart in Kogi, Mr. Abdullahi Chafe.
The elders also faulted the replacement of the state Director of Department of State Services, Mr. Andrew Iorkay, with Mr. Abdulfatah Mohammed.
According to them, the replacement of the two men was preparatory to witchhunt of opposition figures in the state, including Governor Ayodele Fayose.Speaking under the aegis of Ekiti Elders’ Unity Agenda, the elders in a statement by their chairman, Chief Oladapo Iwaloye, and secretary, Dr. Opeyemi Alege, noted that the new security chiefs hail from Katsina State, same with President Muhammadu Buhari.
The statement read, “We members of the Ekiti Elders’ Unity Agenda view the recent redeployment of Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Abdullah Chaffe, an indigene of Katsina State as having a political undertone.
“We also note with consternation the redeployment of the Director of Department of State Service (DSS) – another indigene from Katsina State.
“We have every sense of belief to suspect that their postings are to actualise some sinister agenda and to gag officials of the state government and probably heat up the polity to prepare ground for an emergency rule.”“Ekiti Unity Agenda believes the posting of the two men from President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state cannot be a mere coincidence considering the role of Governor Ayodele Fayose as leading voice of the opposition in the country.
The elders queried why Ekiti was the only target of reposting of security chiefs in the entire country.
They stated that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the Director General of the DSS, Lawal Daura (another kinsman of president Buhari), should be held responsible for any political crisis in the state.
“We see this as the beginning of a new plan to destabilise the state and begin indiscriminate arrest of members of the opposition and have decided to come out to speak on behalf of other true sons and daughters of Ekiti”, they said.“Is it only Katsina indigenes that are in the police and DSS? The Commissioner of Police, Wilson Inalegwu, had barely spent three months in the state, so why the rush in redeploying him when the state is enjoying peace and crime-free?
Meanwhile, the governor has expressed surprise that he was not informed of the removal of the two security heads.
Fayose in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, said the action was undermining his office as the Chief Security Officer in the state.
The governor, who said he was never opposed to the two security agencies performing their legitimate functions, maintained that respect should be accorded his authority as Governor.
Advising security agencies to be professional, Fayose warned the new security chiefs to have a rethink “if their coming is to do a hatchet job.
“Ekiti is very peaceful, nobody should come and destabilise this state. These are issues and steps taking ahead of 2018 governorship election. The federal government should not do anything funny.”
Also, the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Kola Oluwawole, said the removal of the two security chiefs was to actualise the plan of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to invade the state House of Assembly and arrest lawmakers indiscriminately.
He reiterated that Ekiti people and the lawmakers were fully behind the governor, adding that no human efforts could break the accord.