Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Fadahunsi, has been released by the Osun State Police Command, about two hours after honouring police invitation over his alleged “Kill Accord members” threat.
The senator was on Wednesday grilled by the Police Command and later released him.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had called for the arrest of Fadahunsi following a viral video in which the senator was heard saying, “kill any Accord member,” during a protest at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland.
The protest followed the alleged killing of 12 All Progressives Congress members within 24 hours in Ilesa, an incident that heightened political tension in the state ahead of the election.
However, Fadahunsi denied making the statement, insisting that what he said was that APC supporters should “kill Accord Party in Osun with their votes.”
Fadahunsi had arrived the Police Command on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by one of his aides, and initially headed towards the office of the Commissioner of Police.
He was, however, stopped along the way and redirected to the Department of Criminal Investigation, where he was led into an investigation room by the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duty, Samuel Erale Etifo, alongside other senior police officers.
Journalists were barred from the investigation room, a seperate building away from the office of the Commissioner of Police where the senator spent close to two hours.
He was subsequently taken to the office of the Commissioner of Police, where he spent another 20 minutes before being returned to the CID.
He was later joined at the CID by a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Adebayo Adeleke, and a legal practitioner, Edmund Biriomoni.
Fadahunsi was subsequently released by the police.
Addressing journalists after his release, the senator said he honoured the police invitation and clarified the statement he made.
He said, “I came here to honour the police invitation. We have met and I told them what I said, not the one manipulated by the mischievous interpreters of the Yoruba language.
“I am a Yoruba man. If a Hausa or Igbo person is interpreting, it may not be correct. Yoruba means a lot of things. What I said was that between now and Saturday, we will kill them with our votes.”
The two-term senator also expressed concern over the security situation in Osun East, alleging that Governor Adeleke was turning the senatorial district into a battleground while his hometown remained peaceful.
He said, “It is worrisome, but we have left the whole thing to the owner of life. Come Saturday, you will see a marvellous turnout for APC.”
