Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has launched a blistering attack on the Nigeria Police Force, demanding the immediate prosecution of Senator Francis Fadahunsi over a viral video in which the Osun East lawmaker was allegedly captured directing All Progressives Congress supporters to kill members of the Accord Party ahead of Saturday's governorship election. The lawyer's intervention, contained in a statement on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, came hours after the senator was released by the Osun State Police Command following a two-hour grilling that many have dismissed as a mere slap on the wrist.
The video, which has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of Osun State, shows Fadahunsi addressing APC supporters in Ilesa in Yoruba, allegedly telling them: “From now till the election day, if we see them, kill them o.” Another portion of the translation, shared by Afrobeats star Davido, quoted the senator as saying: “This is a Federal Government election. On election day, even if they come with voter cards, we won't allow them to vote.” The incendiary remarks, made at a protest triggered by the reported killing of 12 APC members within 24 hours in Ilesa, have heightened political tension in a state already on edge.
Fadahunsi, who arrived at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo at about 2:25 p.m. on Wednesday in the company of the Commissioner of Police in charge of election security, Samuel Erale, was led into an interrogation room where he spent nearly two hours before being taken to the Commissioner's office for another 20 minutes. He was subsequently released at about 4:58 p.m., a move that Effiong has condemned as a dangerous signal that certain individuals are above the law.
Speaking to journalists after his release, Fadahunsi denied making any threat of physical violence, insisting that his words had been “manipulated by mischievous interpreters of the Yoruba language”. “What I said was that between now and Saturday, we will kill them with our votes,” he said, adding that the video had been edited and taken out of context. But Effiong dismissed the explanation as “pedestrian, childish and feeble”, arguing that the senator's comments, regardless of how they were framed, constituted a reckless and irresponsible incitement to violence.
The lawyer's statement, which was posted on X, accused the police of already taking sides by releasing the senator without further action. “The Senator's incendiary statement has heightened the already tense political atmosphere in the state, which may lead to a breakdown of law and order and negatively affect voter turnout in the forthcoming election,” Effiong wrote. “Failure to prosecute Senator Fadahunsi in accordance with the law will be interpreted by well-meaning Nigerians as an official endorsement of anarchy and a dangerous signal that certain individuals are above the law.”
The controversy has drawn widespread condemnation across the political spectrum. Governor Ademola Adeleke has demanded Fadahunsi's arrest and prosecution, describing the alleged remarks as a “national security threat” that requires the attention of the President and the National Security Adviser. The governor also alleged that security agencies were plotting to arrest Accord Party leaders and ferry them to Abuja on yet-to-be-substantiated allegations of violence, a move he described as an attempt to rig the election. Amnesty International has also called on authorities to investigate the allegation and hold Fadahunsi accountable if found culpable.
The police, however, have defended their handling of the case. Force Public Relations Officer CSP Aniete Iniedu Okokon confirmed that Fadahunsi had been interrogated and said the investigation was ongoing. The outcome, he assured, would be made public after its conclusion. But for many Nigerians, the senator's swift release has raised serious questions about the impartiality of the police and their willingness to hold powerful politicians accountable, particularly in the charged atmosphere of an election season.
Fadahunsi's invitation by the police was contained in a letter dated August 11, 2026, signed by Commissioner of Police Elections in Osun State, Samuel Etaifo Erale. The letter ordered the senator to report to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo on August 12 at 11:00 a.m. to “clarify the circumstances” surrounding his statements, which the police described as “threatening, inciting and intimidating in nature”. The letter had also stated that the senator's remarks had already been in circulation on various electronic and social media platforms.
The Osun governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, August 15, is one of the most closely watched off-cycle polls in Nigeria in recent years. The contest pits incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party against the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, among 13 other candidates. The election has been marked by rising tensions, with more than 20 people reportedly killed in politically motivated violence in the build-up to the poll. Effiong's demand for Fadahunsi's prosecution is therefore not just about one senator's words; it is about the integrity of the electoral process and the safety of voters who must decide whether to risk their lives to exercise their democratic rights.
As Saturday's election approaches, the failure to prosecute Senator Fadahunsi sends a chilling message to political actors across the country: that the law is a flexible instrument, applied selectively to those without power, and that even the most incendiary threats will be met with nothing more than a few hours of questioning. It is a message that could embolden other politicians to resort to threats, intimidation and violence as tools of political engagement, with potentially devastating consequences for Nigeria's fragile democracy.
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