A Cleric, Bishop Seun Adeoye of Sufficient Grace and Truth Ministry (SGTM) Okinni, Osun State has raised an alarm over the storming of his residence on Sunday by heavily armed policemen.
Bishop Adeoye who embarked on a one-man protest in Osogbo against the hike by the Federal Government (FG) of price of fuel from N87 to N145 in a statement on Monday, August 1, 2016 described the visit to his residence as unusual and uncalled for.
The one-time Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state noted that the police mission to his residence may not be unconnected with his critical assessment of policies of both the FG and that of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State.
“I belong to a class of people who will not close his eyes to injustice and maladministration. I cannot withstand government’s anti-democratic ethos in a society expected to treat its people equally. I cannot choose to be mute and deaf when people are hungry and dying because of bad economic policies.
“If saying the truth is an offence, I am ready to die for it. As I mentioned during my protest, things are becoming more difficult for Nigerians and our government appeared not to have answered to myriads of problems facing the nation. I said Nigeria is in chain and I have not been proved wrong.
“I was surprised to see six stern looking and fully armed policemen storm my house on Sunday morning. They claimed to have come from Zone XI Command looking for some miscreants. Only one of the policemen wore uniform while others were on vests bearing police and they didn’t come with any police vehicle but a private car.
“First of all, there was no report of any threat to peace or crime in my area at Hallehuyah Estate and till now we haven’t heard of any. Secondly, my house was not the only one in the neigbhourhood, yet mine was the only one visited.
“Although, I was not harassed by them but this mission to my house is still suspicious. Adequate of report of this case is being made at appropriate quarters but I need to raise alarm. I cannot be afraid but I must not keep quiet as well” he stated.
Bishop Adeoye said he was unmindful of clandestine move by agents of the state against members of his group, the Civil Societies Coalition of Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS) which had stood firmly behind the suspended Justice Folahanmi Oloyede and defended her before the National Judicial Commission (NJC) and has exposed the pathetic mis-governance in the state.
“It appears our hard-earned democracy is about to be jeopardized by those who contributed nothing to it but are fortunate to find themselves in the positions of authority.
“It will be sad if state security apparatus such as the Army, the Police, the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) and other paramilitary forces are being used as weapons of destruction by those in government against all their perceived enemies.
“Creating an atmosphere of fear is not the best for our democracy. We are granted certain rights in our constitution. If Nigerians are denied these rights, then, anarchy will be the order of the day. A little spark can cause a serious fire which can consume anyone”, he added.
