Osun Police Acting Professionally, Says Misbau Lateef

Legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, Dr. Misbau Lateef, has dismissed claims likening the political situation in Osun State to genocide, insisting that the term should not be used loosely in describing politically motivated violence.

Speaking on TVC Politics on Sunday with Femi Akande, Lateef said the legal definition of genocide under international law is far more serious than the current political developments in the state.

“The term genocide under international law is an heavy word that means a lot and I just pray that Osun never witness anything close to that.”

He argued that the arrest of political thugs from different parties by security agencies does not amount to genocide, noting that all major political parties have suffered casualties and made allegations against one another.

“So if there have been arrest of thugs, whether from APC, PDP or Accord thugs, I don’t think that will qualify as what we can call genocide, people have died across party, and I don’t want to start mentioning names, APC has alleged that their party members have been killed, PDP have made similar allegations and the Accord.”

Lateef also said it is common for politicians to accuse government institutions of bias during periods of heightened political tension.

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“So for me, when it comes to political contexts like these, politicians across party always have a way of bringing in the institutions of government to smear them or accuse them of taking sides.”

He defended the conduct of the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, saying there was no evidence to suggest the police command had acted with bias or outside the law.

“From what the CP is doing or has done so far, I can’t seem with all sense of responsibility to find any evidence of bias or somebody who has not been professional, if the commissioner of police has arrested people who are alleged to have committed a crime, you will not say he has done something outside the law and this is exactly how I see it.”