Alleged Self-Kidnap: Osun Govt Debunks Attempt To Shield Suspect

Osun State government has debunked the rumours making the rounds that the chief of staff, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, and other top government officials were working to prevent the police from investigating the alleged self–kidnapping saga by one of the governor’s media aides, Shakirulahi Babatunde.

Babatunde, who allegedly faked his kidnap in a text message, is currently under investigation.

A statement by the spokesperson to the state governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, said contrary to insinuations in certain quarters that the government was attemping to prevent Babatunde from being investigated, it was the government that reported the case to the police.

Rasheed contended that the police are currently investigating the matter without any pressure from the state government.

His words: “It would be recalled that when the media aide sent a text message that he had been kidnapped, an incident report was immediately lodged with the police under the instruction of the chief of staff.

“The matter was further reported to the Anti- Kidnapping Squad of Osun State Police Command which swung into action as a signal of transparency and readiness for law enforcement.

“It was therefore falsehood from the pit of hell to assert that the chief of staff or any state official was trying to prevent the police from conducting investigation into a matter which the state government originally reported to the police.”

The state government, therefore, called on members of the public to ignore any misinformation designed to tarnish the image of state officials or the police as relevant police units are currently investigating the entire episode.