A member of the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam, has condemned the alleged harassment and public humiliation of Taiwo Adebayo, a council employee in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State.
In viral videos and photographs circulating online, Adebayo, an administrative officer at the Egbedore Local Government council, is seen kneeling and offering apologies to politicians in the presence of police officers.
In a statement released on Monday, Salam, who chairs the House Committee on Public Accounts, described the incident as a reflection of the “illegal capture” of local government administration in Osun State.
“I just watched a viral video and many photographs of Mr Taiwo Adebayo, a local government worker in Egbedore local government of Osun state, being humiliated by some politicians in the presence of the divisional police officer of the local government, Mrs Tawakalitu Ogunniyi, and some of her personnel,” the statement read.
Salam said his findings confirmed that Adebayo, an administrative staff member, was carrying out lawful duties following a directive by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to resume work after an 11-month strike.
He explained that Adebayo was handling official files connected to the retirement process of some local government workers who were due to exit service and required their documentation processed for the payment of benefits.
“Mr Adebayo acted with the instructions of his superior and was not in any way on an illegal assignment. The politician who was seen in the video supervising the false detention, interrogation and humiliation of the local government staff is Mr Issa Akinwale, a man who had been sacked from the office of chairman of the local government by a judgement of the federal high court and the court of appeal.
“The dehumanising treatment of citizen Adebayo by the politician in the presence of law enforcement agents supervised by the divisional police officer in Egbedore Local Government of Osun State is despicable, condemnable and outrightly unconstitutional.”
The lawmaker called for immediate corrective measures, including a public apology to the affected worker.
“I also call for an immediate cessation of the ongoing illegal, unlawful capture of local government administration in Osun State by politicians from the APC who are being backed in the usurpation of power and contempt of court by the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.
Salam further warned that continued police involvement in partisan political activities at the local government level poses a grave danger to democracy and undermines the authority of the judiciary.