A Nigerian member of parliament has accused the police of colluding with local politicians to harass and unlawfully detain a council employee in Osun State, warning that the incident represents a grave threat to constitutional order and democratic governance.

Rep. Bamidele Salam, who represents Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, said the conduct of the Nigeria Police Force in Egbedore Local Government Area was “despicable, unconstitutional and wholly incompatible with the rule of law”.

His intervention follows the circulation of a viral video and photographs showing a local government worker, Mr Taiwo Adebayo, being publicly humiliated and interrogated in the presence of police officers and local political figures.

In a strongly worded statement, Mr Salam said his inquiries confirmed that Mr Adebayo, an administrative officer of the Egbedore Local Government, was on lawful duty at the time of his arrest, having resumed work under directives issued by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) after an 11-month strike.

According to the lawmaker, Mr Adebayo was carrying official files relating to the retirement and benefits of staff due to exit service and was acting under the instructions of his superiors. “He was not engaged in any illegal assignment whatsoever,” Mr Salam said.

Mr Salam alleged that the detention and humiliation were overseen by Mr Issa Akinwale, a politician who, he said, had previously been removed from office as chairman of the local government by rulings of both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. Despite those judgments, Mr Salam claimed that Mr Akinwale and others continued to occupy council secretariats “with the active connivance of the police”.

He described the treatment of Mr Adebayo, carried out in the presence of the Divisional Police Officer in Egbedore, Mrs Tawakalitu Ogunniyi, as “dehumanising” and “a gross abuse of state power”.

Calling for immediate action, Mr Salam demanded the release of the detained staff member and a formal apology from the Nigeria Police Force. He further urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to withdraw officers from what he described as “illegal duties” at local government secretariats across Osun State.

“The ongoing capture of local government administration by politicians, backed by law enforcement agencies in open contempt of court orders, must stop,” he said, accusing members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the takeover.

Mr Salam warned that continued police involvement in partisan political disputes at the grassroots level posed a serious danger to democracy, judicial authority and citizens’ rights. He insisted that security agencies must uphold court judgments rather than facilitate their violation.

The controversy is rooted in a prolonged legal dispute over local government leadership in Osun State. Courts in Osogbo and Akure had separately nullified the election of council chairmen held in October 2022, ruling that the polls violated the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution. The Court of Appeal later upheld fresh local government elections conducted on 22 February 2025.

Despite those rulings, Mr Salam alleged that the police had frustrated the enforcement of the judgments, deepening tensions over the rule of law in the state.