The OPC Men: Dauda Kazeem, Awodele Adedigba and Ramon Hassan

By Richard Elesho

Members of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, Dauda Kazeem, Awodele Adedigba and Ramon Hassan who were detained by the Oyo State Police Command for their roles in the citizen arrest of Iskiku Wokil, an alleged ethnic warlord have regained their freedom.

It was gathered that the police released the three detained OPC operatives on Tuesday to enable them attend to their respective health challenges.

OPC Coordinator in Oyo State, Rotimi Olumo, disclosed this in a telephone interview with The PUNCH.

Olumo said, “The three men were released on bail today from the State Criminal Investigation Department in Iyaganku, Ibadan.

“The police released them on health condition; the three men are seriously ill and need urgent medical attention.

“The police said the three of them should report regularly at the state CID for the ongoing investigation.”

Olumo had also said the men were not moved from the state to Abuja as reported in some sections of the media.

The News had earlier reported the arrest of a notorious herder accused of fanning insecurity in Ibarapa area of Oyo State. OPC members arrested him and three others on Sunday

The OPC later handed over Wakili to the Oyo State Police Command but the police subsequently detained three OPC operatives for allegedly burning down Wakili’s house and killing an unknown woman in the process.

However, the OPC said the murder and arson allegations were false, adding that it immediately handed over Wakili and three of his accomplices to the police in Igboora after their arrest.

Before Wakili’s arrest, farmers and residents of Ayete, Kajola and neighbouring villages in Ibarapaland lived in perpetual fear of Wakili who was accused of displacing them from their farms, kidnapping their rich men and raping their women.

The detention of the OPC members attracted public condemnation and many people called for their immediate release.

Reacting to the release on Tuesday OPC leader and Are Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams described it as a welcome development. He described it as “unjust detention” and thanked people that called for their release.

“I want to assure Nigerians that the OPC will continue to support and complement the efforts of all security agencies, including the police in ensuring that the south west is safe”, Adams added.