Human rights lawyer and public interest advocate, Tope Temokun, has questioned the silence of the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force over alleged inflammatory remarks by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, in which he was accused of calling for the killing of members and supporters of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
Temokun asked whether Fadahunsi, who represents Osun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, would still be a free man if he belonged to an opposition party and had made similar remarks.
His comments came amid growing political tension in Osun State, with Governor Ademola Adeleke separately demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of the senator over a viral video allegedly showing him directing supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress to kill members of the Accord Party.
The August 15 election has been characterised by heightened accusations of political intimidation, alleged arrests of opposition supporters and concerns over the possibility of violence before and during the poll.
In a statement made available on Tuesday, Temokun said the controversy surrounding Fadahunsi’s remarks presented an important test of the impartiality of the country’s security agencies.
He said Adeleke and the Accord Party had already called for the senator’s arrest and investigation, arguing that Fadahunsi’s subsequent explanation that his reference to “killing” was metaphorical should not automatically end the matter.
Fadahunsi has reportedly maintained that he was referring to defeating the Accord Party politically at the polls and not to physically killing its members.
Temokun said the senator’s explanation could either be accepted or rejected by the authorities, but stressed that determining the meaning and seriousness of the statement was the responsibility of law-enforcement agencies.
“His explanation may ultimately be accepted or rejected. That is precisely why there are law-enforcement institutions,” he said.
“But there is a larger question Nigerians are entitled to ask. If Fadahunsi were an opposition politician, would the security agencies find his explanation conveniently acceptable without an invitation or arrest?”
The lawyer drew a comparison with the treatment of government critics, particularly Omoyele Sowore, the human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress.
According to Temokun, Sowore’s description of President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” on social media was considered sufficiently serious by the authorities to warrant criminal proceedings instituted by the DSS.
“The matter went before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Think about the contrast,” he said.
“Sowore's statement was directed at the President. The State considered it serious enough to invoke a criminal process.
“Now we are confronted with the words of a serving senator at perhaps the most combustible moment possible: immediately before an election.”
Temokun argued that Fadahunsi’s explanation should be subjected to investigation rather than treated as an automatic defence.
“His words have been interpreted by political opponents as a threat of violence. He says they have been misunderstood and that he was speaking metaphorically about electoral defeat. Fine,” he said.
“But since when did an explanation by the person at the centre of an allegation replace investigation? That kind of luxury is rarely extended to government critics.”
He urged the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the DSS to demonstrate equal application of the law, warning that their handling of the matter could influence public confidence in the security agencies ahead of the election and, more broadly, the 2027 general elections.
“This is precisely where the Inspector-General of Police and the DSS must understand that their conduct between now and the election will speak louder than any press statement about their roles,” Temokun said.
“A security institution cannot become ferocious when an opposition voice speaks and suddenly rediscover patience, context and linguistic interpretation when a member of the ruling establishment speaks.”
The lawyer called on the DSS to deploy the same level of institutional attention to Fadahunsi’s alleged remarks that would have been applied to statements attributed to Sowore or another prominent critic of the Federal Government.
“There cannot be one criminal justice system for those who irritate the President and another for those who belong to the President's political family,” he said.
Meanwhile, Adeleke has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Fadahunsi, describing the alleged remarks as a national security concern.
The governor made the demand on Tuesday during an emergency press briefing in Osogbo, where he also raised fresh allegations of security operations targeting leaders and supporters of the Accord Party ahead of the election.
Adeleke alleged that the senator had called for the killing of Accord Party leaders, supporters and their family members.
“The second issue has to do with the viral video of a serving Senator, Francis Fadahunsi, who today called for the killing of Accord Party leaders, supporters and their families. In the video, the Senator even threatened that where they cannot get Accord Party leaders, they should kill their wives and children,” Adeleke alleged.
The governor said he had brought the matter to the attention of the Inspector-General of Police and demanded immediate investigation and arrest.
According to Adeleke, Disu confirmed that the video existed and assured him that appropriate action would be taken.
Adeleke argued that the matter had gone beyond partisan politics and should be treated as a national security issue because of the potential consequences of alleged threats against political opponents and their families.
“This is now beyond politics. This is now a national security threat that requires the attention of Mr President through the Office of the National Security Adviser,” he said.
He also called on the police and DSS to investigate Fadahunsi over what he described as an alleged incitement to genocide against the people of Ijesaland and Osun State.
The governor, however, raised a separate allegation concerning the conduct of security agencies in the state.
He alleged that a police signal had been issued directing the immediate arrest of Accord Party leaders across Osun, with those arrested allegedly to be taken to Abuja and held until after the election.
Adeleke said he had raised the alleged directive with the IGP and urged him to stop any operation that could compromise the integrity of the election.
“I have spoken to the Inspector-General of Police about the reported directive to arrest Accord Party leaders. But I am appealing to him that this development, if true, is illegal and presents Nigeria as a lawless country,” he said.
“Arresting Accord Party leaders on the eve of an election amounts to the police helping and assisting the APC to rig the election.”
The governor further alleged that more than 62 Accord Party leaders were being detained by the police without charges.
He also demanded an end to what he described as “illegal operations” by the Intelligence Response Team, alleging that its operatives had arrested Accord Party leaders in different local government areas without justification.
Adeleke called on the IGP and other security agencies to uphold due process and ensure equal treatment of all political parties before, during and after the election.
“We demand that the IGP enforce due process and fair policing by aborting all anti-people plots against democracy in Osun State,” he said.
“We finally request that the police and other security agencies should act in line with the rule of law and their oath of office before, during and after these coming elections.”
The controversy has also attracted condemnation from Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress, who described the alleged remarks attributed to Fadahunsi as unacceptable in a democracy.
Obi expressed concern that the comments could heighten political tension, intimidate voters and potentially trigger electoral violence.
He said a serving senator had a constitutional and moral responsibility to promote peace, democratic values and unity rather than make statements capable of inflaming political tensions.
“As a high-ranking lawmaker representing the people in the National Assembly, Senator Fadahunsi carries a solemn constitutional and moral responsibility to promote peace, uphold democratic norms, and foster unity,” Obi said.
He urged Fadahunsi to retract the alleged comments and apologise to the people of Osun State.
Obi also appealed to political leaders, party supporters and other stakeholders to moderate their language and avoid actions capable of threatening the peaceful conduct of Saturday’s election.
“All political leaders, stakeholders, and party loyalists across party lines must exercise the utmost restraint, moderate their language, and recommit themselves to peace and democratic decorum,” he said.
The former Anambra State governor further urged security agencies to monitor inflammatory statements and provide equal protection for voters, electoral officials and other citizens.
“The democratic mandate belongs to the people, and no individual, regardless of status or political office, should attempt to subvert the will of the people through fear or coercion,” he said.
Obi separately described the alleged comments as unacceptable, saying: “This is unacceptable in a democracy. Not even in the heyday of military rule will a military person talk like this.”
With the election only days away, the competing allegations and demands have intensified concerns over the neutrality of security agencies and the ability of political actors to maintain peace in Osun.
Temokun’s central argument is that Fadahunsi’s explanation should not be allowed to substitute for an independent investigation, while Adeleke has called for the senator’s arrest and prosecution.
The allegations concerning the police detention of Accord Party members and the alleged directive to arrest its leaders could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report. Similarly, the authenticity and full context of the viral video attributed to Fadahunsi could not be independently established from the materials available.
Fadahunsi’s reported explanation that his use of the word “kill” was metaphorical, however, has not ended calls for law-enforcement agencies to investigate the matter and determine whether the remarks constituted an offence.
The developments come at a particularly sensitive period, with Osun residents scheduled to vote on Saturday, August 15, amid heightened political rivalry and growing concerns over electoral violence, intimidation and the impartiality of security agencies.
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