Ogun Commission is to Harass Enemies, Opponents, Says Daniel

SAN FRANCISCO, SEPTEMBER 16, (THEWILL) - Former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, today said the newly inaugurated Ogun Truth Commission by incumbent governor, Ibikunle Amosun, was primarily instituted to hunt perceived enemies as well as opponents.

Speaking through his media assistant, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, he argued that a Truth Commission of the nature being proposed for Ogun state should be unfettered in its range of issues and era of concern with all participants allowed to table relevant issues of their choice. “It is obvious that the Commission was conceived and constituted to provide a platform for political theatrics and a forum to embarrass and harass perceived enemies and opponents," he said.

Although he expressed readiness to appear before the Commission, Daniel is hoping that all issues would be discussed without restrictions or prejudice. “We however remain unperturbed by this obvious selective persecution as we have nothing to hide. We certainly will monitor the proceedings and take appropriate measures," he added. “Our counsel and concern have largely been ignored going by the content of the terms of reference for the Commission just released by the Ogun State Governor, which restricted its focus to issues that are wholly criminal in nature and which are within purview of the law enforcement agencies and the law courts.”

He noted that the governor of a state is the Chief Security Officer of the state, who being the boss of the state Commissioner of Police, the state's Director of State Security Service (SSS) and also the State's Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), has the power, authority and resource to call for case files, saying: "The truth is that issues of alleged murder and kidnapping that constitute the restrictive Terms of Reference of the newly inaugurated Commission are purely criminal matters over which the security agencies and law courts are statutorily empowered to handle and resolve.”