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Park Invasion: FB Users Knock Osun Police over Unfair Policing

The Osun State Police Command has come under heavy criticism from Facebook users following its latest press briefing on the violence that erupted around motor parks in Osogbo, with many accusing the Command of selective law enforcement and political bias.

During a press briefing on Monday, Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan said officers responded to clashes involving factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) before later engaging suspected hoodlums at Oke-Ijetu, where three security operatives sustained gunshot injuries. The Command announced the arrest of one suspect linked to the shooting, alongside separate arrests involving alleged motorcycle robbers and suspected political thugs.

However, the statement triggered a flood of reactions on the Command’s official Facebook page, where many commenters questioned why individuals allegedly seen in widely circulated videos during the invasion of the Old Garage motor park were neither mentioned nor arrested.

Several users alleged that armed men invaded the park, vandalised commercial buses, assaulted drivers and commuters, and operated openly despite the presence of security personnel.

Adeyemi Idris alleged that the attackers destroyed more than 20 buses and injured innocent drivers, claiming that police officers left the scene during the violence but later returned to arrest park workers instead.

“Information and evidence show how police officers left the scene and later came back to arrest park drivers,” he wrote.

A recurring theme in the comments was the demand for the arrest of Asiri Eniba, whom many users alleged was seen in viral videos from the incident.

Adejugbe Yusuf wrote that the public would only take the Police Command seriously if those captured in the circulating videos were also arrested and investigated.

A major point of contention among Facebook users was the circulation of videos showing Asiri Eniba moving with armed uniformed men, whom many commenters believed to be police officers carrying sophisticated firearms. Several users questioned why no arrests or investigations involving him were announced in the Police Command’s briefing despite the widespread circulation of the footage on social media.

Sarumi Kolawole, one of the commenters, raised questions over Eniba’s alleged role within the transport union and his continued movement under police protection despite what he described as numerous petitions to the Osun State Police Command.

“DSP Abiodun Ojelabi sir, do you know that Asiri Eniba that is terrorizing Osun State is Abuja NURTW chairman? Can a single person hold two state NURTW chairman positions? Moreover, with thousands of petitions written to the Osun State Police Command on this same Asiri Eniba, he is still walking around the state freely with armed police officers. He even has the guts to lead a protest in Osun State. I believe this sector (Police) should be independent, not an instrument for one political party,” Kolawole wrote.

Several commenters also criticised the Command’s description of the transport union crisis as merely a clash between “factions” of the NURTW.

Azeez Taofeeq argued that the police failed to explain the basis for the description and omitted key details surrounding the earlier violence at the motor park.

“The public expected the Police to identify and investigate everyone responsible for the violence, regardless of their position or influence. A professional investigation should be comprehensive, balanced, and evidence-driven, not one that appears to focus on one side while leaving out other critical issues that have been widely discussed. Osun residents deserve equal justice, accountability, and a policing approach that inspires confidence rather than raising more questions,” he wrote.

Akinola Isaac also questioned what he described as differing responses to the two incidents that occurred on the same day.

According to him, while one group allegedly involved in violence had no suspects publicly identified or paraded despite videos circulating online, suspects linked to the later Oke-Ijetu incident were arrested and presented within 24 hours.

“This seeming double standard is what is escalating tension in Osun State. Criminality should not be partisan. If we want lasting peace, the law must be applied fairly to ALL parties involved,” he stated.

Other commenters openly accused the Police Command of partisanship.

Ojo Kayode argued that the briefing failed to provide a complete account of events, saying it ignored the violence that reportedly occurred at the Old Garage earlier in the day. While Tijani Kamal urged police authorities to protect the integrity of the institution by remaining neutral.

Williams Adetunji, Abdulaziz Jeleel, Kayode Adebare, Hammed Olawale, Abiodun Adigun, Popoola Gabriel, Ajibade Gideon and several others also questioned why those allegedly seen in videos of the motor park invasion had not been arrested.

Some commenters expressed disappointment in the Command, with Oyedele Yusuf describing it as “the most biased Police Force” he had witnessed in Osun, while Adebayo Ogunnaike said the Command’s handling of the incident had discouraged many citizens who previously held the Police in high regard.

Although a few commenters commended the Commissioner of Police and his officers for responding to security threats and restoring order, the overwhelming majority demanded what they described as impartial investigations and equal enforcement of the law.

The online reactions have further amplified public scrutiny of the Police Command’s handling of the motor park crisis, with many residents insisting that confidence in law enforcement can only be restored through transparent investigations and equal application of the law to all individuals allegedly involved in the violence, regardless of political or union affiliation.