Kwara CP declares man who threatened traditionalists wanted terrorist
By Tajudeen Edun
Kwara State Police Commissioner, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, has declared one Salam Ayodeji, who allegedly threatened traditionalists in Ilorin, as a terrorist who is wanted by the state Police command.
She gave the family three days to produce the controversial Muslim cleric, adding that the command has also begun manhunt for his arrest.
It will be recalled that the suspect had visited the traditionalists, one Tajudeen and his wife, in their shop located at Alaran compound, Ilorin, where the couple sell television sets.
The Police Commissioner, speaking during a meeting with families of the suspect, Alaran family and that of the traditionalists, yesterday, directed family of Ayodeji to produce the suspect for alleged offence of terrorism and defamation against the Police.
The police boss, who reprimanded family of Ayodeji for not enlightening their son against what she described as his criminal behaviour, said his attitude was capable of causing breakdown of law and order in the state.
She said: “Is it because Tajudeen’s wife is from Osun State. Does that mean she’s a traditionalist? Or is there no Muslims in Osun State?”
The state Police commissioner also berated Alaran family for driving the couple out of the area and for refunding the rent of the shop to the couple against their wish.
She asked the family of Ayodeji to look for their son and produce him to the command from wherever he might have escaped to latest tomorrow, just as she said the command had began manhunt for him.
In their reaction, the family members of Ayodeji said that they have been looking for the suspect since last Friday when he didn’t come home while his phone line had not been reachable.
Tajudeen, who said that he had resigned to faith and put the whole matter in God’s hand, added that the family of Ayodeji had pleaded with him for forgiveness.
Spokesman of Kwara State Police Command Ajayi Okasanmi had earlier told journalists in Ilorin that contrary to the claims of the Muslim Cleric that he had the backing of Commissioner of Police to threaten the suspected traditionalists, that the Police boss never gave such approval.
The Muslim cleric, in a treding three and half minutes video, had visited a shop said to be owned by a female traditionalist, where fairly used TV sets were sold at Alaran community in Ilorin.
The man, accompanied by some others, were seen in the video boasting that the state Commissioner of Police, was aware of his visit to the shop.
The Muslim cleric accused the traditionalists of holding traditional religion (Isese) meeting inside the shop using the selling of fairly used TV sets as coverup.
He also told the Alaran community, which rented the shop to the female shop occupant and her people, as shown in the video, to issue quit notice to the tenant and refund their rent.
The man, Ismail Ayodeji, in the video also gave a week deadline for the people to vacate the shop and threatened that his return with others in his group would be catastrophic.
