The police in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, have confirmed that the warrant used to arrest Adegbola Abdulazeez, a traditional religion practitioner and activist also known as Talolorun, was fake.
The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, told The PUNCH on Monday that the command had no idea which court issued the warrant to arrest the Isese (traditional religion) activist, Talolorun.
Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, on Sunday, said the Nigeria police arrested Talolorun with a fake warrant.
According to the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 presidential election, the police also asked the state government to allow them to prosecute Talolorun without the involvement of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
“#FreeTaniOlorun: The charade by special interests in Ilorin to secretly jail Tani Olohun exposed, first they got a fake arrest warrant from Area Court to get him arrested, now asking state govt to let them prosecute him without involving the DPP’s office,” Sowore posted on his Facebook page on Sunday.
Ajayi, while responding on behalf of the state’s commissioner of police Ebunoluwa Rotimi Adelesi, debunked claims by Araba Agbaye of the International Council for Ifa Religion, Ifa priest Owolabi Aworeni, that the command connived with Muslim clerics in the state to arrest Talolorun.
“I can tell you confidently that the police were issued a warrant by a competent court of jurisdiction directing the police to arrest that person (Talolorun),” he said.
Talolorun was on August 17 arraigned before a magistrate court in Ilorin and was further remanded till October 5.
But when asked which court issued the said warrant, Ajayi said he had no idea.
“I wouldn’t know, I do not know,” Ajayi told The PUNCH, promising to provide a name in one hour’s time.
When The PUNCH texted Ajayi on his mobile phone to get more updates, he responded by saying, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t get the name please.”
SaharaReporters reported on Saturday that prison authorities in Kwara State denied family members and activists access to Talolorun, who was remanded by a magistrate court in Ilorin.
According to charges filed against the Talolorun seen by SaharaReporters on Saturday, he was accused of planning to start a war by “inviting other traditional and idol worshippers to assemble in Ilorin on the 20th of August, 2023”, among others.
In the charge sheet, Talolorun was also accused of blasphemy, insulting the Islamic religion and inciting the public against the authorities. He was also accused of burning the Quran and insulting and defaming the Chief Imam of Offa, Muuhideen Hussein and some other clerics.
However, some of his family members and Isese activists who spoke to SaharaReporters on Saturday said the police prevented them from seeing Talolorun.