Following the recent massacre of over 20 people in Sagamu by suspected cultists, the Department of State Services (DSS) detained Damilare Bello, a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly who represents Sagamu Constituency 1 on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.
The party has criticized Bello’s arrest by the secret police.
DSS arrested Bello late at night, according to Akinloye Bankole, the Ogun PDP publicity secretary.
“As much as we do not object to the DSS or any security agency investigating the Sagamu carnage, which allegedly claimed more than 25 lives,” the statement says, “we believe the investigation is not being conducted with optimum professionalism and sincerity.”
While admitting that nothing incriminating was discovered at Bello’s home during his detention yesterday, Bankole claimed that “the whole thing is an orchestrated attempt to give Hon. Bello a bad name just to hang him.”
The PDP publicity secretary further stated:
“It is also interesting that the Sagamu residence of the honourable member was thoroughly vandalised earlier today by some suspected APC-enabled thugs, the same man who returned from London to Abeokuta and raised contributions on the floor of the house yesterday concerning security matters in his constituency.
“We have always held that the Sagamu killings are a direct fallout of the criminal empowerment of cultists against the people by the APC. The onus is, however, on the DSS to rise above partisanship in its duties. The security outfit is a creation of the law and should not be reduced to a mere tool of a political witch hunt by both the governor and APC against perceived opponents.
“The trajectories of Messrs Femi Davies, Daud Olatunji, and recently, Wale Adedayo are still fresh in our memories. As a law-abiding political organisation, our great party will work with the DSS and indeed other security agencies in ensuring peace and tranquillity in Ogun State, but we shall also not fold our arms and watch anyone throw innocent members of the public under the bus.”
The party charged the state government to look inward and search its inner circles in Sagamu LGA to ‘see where the smoke was coming from.’