The Nigeria Labour Congress in Osun State has demanded the immediate release of local government workers allegedly arrested at council secretariats across the state.
The state NLC Chairman, Mr Christopher Arapasopo, who issued the warning yesterday at the 2026 annual prayer event organised by the state government at the Government Secretariat, Abere, threatened industrial action if the alleged intimidation persists.
Though the Osun State Police Command neither confirmed nor denied the arrests, sources within the ruling All Progressives Congress revealed that two to three council staff were detained on suspicion of attempting to illegally remove official documents from secretariats.
The arrests reportedly occurred at Boluwaduro Local Government headquarters in Otan Ayegbaju and Egbedore LGA Secretariat in Awo, shortly after workers ended their nearly 11-month industrial action and returned to duty.
Photographs and video clips showing the arrested workers kneeling beside documents allegedly found in their possession went viral on social media platforms yesterday.
Arapasopo condemned the development, describing it as an unacceptable abuse of police powers.
“This harassment must stop immediately. Our members have committed no offence. We have seen videos showing our people being forced to kneel. This is condemnable,” he fumed.
“We demand their unconditional release and declare total solidarity with the affected workers. The police must stop allowing themselves to be used by the APC for illegal purposes.”
The labour leader accused the opposition APC of plotting to destabilise the state, vowing that the congress would resist such moves within legal frameworks.
“The APC wants to plunge Osun into crisis and create mayhem. We will not allow them to destroy our state. As a pressure group, we will resist their actions legally. The police must stop harassing our people at the local government level,” he warned.
Arapasopo praised Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration for its support to workers, promising that labour would reciprocate with massive votes during elections.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Abiodun Ojelabi, said he had no official report on the alleged arrests.
“Council secretariats are public spaces. Anyone can visit. However, we will not tolerate troublemakers, regardless of their political affiliation. No police operative smuggled anyone into any council area. Our officers are there solely to maintain peace,” he stated.
He warned that anyone caught fomenting trouble at council premises would face prosecution.
Workers resumed at the 30 local government areas on Monday following a directive by the National Union of Local Government Employees, ending a strike that commenced on February 17, 2025.
The industrial action was triggered by a leadership crisis involving Peoples Democratic Party and APC chairmen elected during the October 15, 2022 council polls.
Heavy security deployment was observed across council secretariats, with access points manned by armed personnel conducting thorough checks on visitors.
The Osun APC Director of Media, Mr Kola Olabisi, speaking on behalf of the party chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Lawal, lamented what he termed the abuse of court processes to cripple local government administration.
“The problem we have in Osun is the indiscriminate procurement of court orders at any time. This has become a serious impediment to development. No local government chairman can function effectively under these conditions,” he complained.
Olabisi alleged that the Adeleke administration had approached multiple courts, including those outside Osun State, to obtain injunctions stalling council operations and blocking access to statutory allocations.
However, the chairman of Osun PDP Association of Local Governments, Mr Sarafa Awotunde, accused the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, of partisanship.
He alleged that security agencies breached agreements by granting APC chairmen access to council offices.
“IGP, what is your interest in Osun local government affairs? Are you trying to destabilise the state? Remain neutral. Allowing APC chairmen into offices amounts to political banditry,” Awotunde charged.
But Ojelabi dismissed the allegations, insisting that police personnel at council areas were deployed strictly for peacekeeping purposes.
The Chairman of Osun APC ALGON, Mr Samuel Idowu, commended workers for their orderly resumption, noting that several staff visited offices to welcome the chairmen.
“In most councils, workers came to greet and welcome us. We have no issues with them,” he said.