The Kogi State Police Command has addressed the recent arrest of the Action Alliance (AA) governorship candidate, Olayinka Braimoh, during the off-cycle governorship election in the state. Contrary to speculations of electoral misconduct, the police assert that the arrest was made due to Braimoh’s non-compliance with restriction orders.
Reports indicated that Braimoh and his aides were apprehended in the Kabba Bunu Local Government Area for allegedly possessing campaign materials in violation of electoral regulations. The arrest, however, prompted concerns of a potential kidnapping when attempts to contact Braimoh were unsuccessful.
Braimoh claimed that police operatives confiscated their phones and detained them incommunicado inside the cell of the Area Command for an extended period.
The spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, William Aya, clarified the situation in a statement to Saturday PUNCH. Aya emphasized that Braimoh’s arrest was not related to electoral offenses, as erroneously reported by some media outlets. Instead, it was based on the breach of orders restricting movement on election day.
Aya explained, “It was a violation of the restriction of movement. You know there was an order that no security personnel should escort any VIP on the day of the election, and there was a restriction of movement. He violated the restriction of movement because they said the police and any security agencies attached to them should not move with them on that day.”
He further disclosed that Braimoh was released after being held briefly since he is permitted to move alone without security personnel. Aya assured that the police would conduct an internal investigation into the matter, adhering to disciplinary procedures.
In response to the arrest, the chairman of the Action Alliance party, Fred Ambo, condemned the incident, describing it as manipulated. Ambo expressed discontent with Braimoh’s treatment, highlighting the prolonged period of incommunicado detention, which he deemed excessive and inappropriate.