A fresh twist has been introduced to the travails of the former boss of the Park Management System (PMS) in Oyo state, Mr. Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, as the All Progressives Congress has called on the National Special Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbedokun, to carry out thorough investigation on the various allegations against the suspect to unravel his sponsors and other accomplices.

Lamidi popularly known as Auxiliary was paraded on Thursday at the Eleyele, Ibadan headquarters of the Oyo State Police Command following his arrest by the officials of the Department of State Security last week. The State Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, told pressmen during the parade that Lamidi would soon be arraigned in court on several charges which included; the murder of one Rahmon which happened in Ibadan in 2021, possession of a large cache of arms and ammunition among other crimes.

In a statement issued today and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC cautioned against selective justice “as could not have committed the heinous crimes all alone and without the sponsorship or support of the powers-that-be in the state in view of the fact that he was not only a chieftain of the ruling party but also an associate of the PDP governor.

“Arrest and prosecution of Lamidi was long overdue in view of the fact he has always been a thorn in the flesh of the residents of Oyo state and the good people of Ibadanland in particular. It is on this note that we commend the officials of the DSS who eventually got him arrested following a long time of distress calls from his numerous victims. Until recently when the bubble burst between him and Gov. Seyi Makinde, the same man (Lamidi) was untouchable as he got the full backing of the Agodi Government House landlords to run a separate government in the state.

“There is no denying the facts that Lamidi and his vicious gang have violated many innocent people’s rights since May 29, 2019, when Gov. Makinde came into power. Also, it is an established fact that he had in his possession a cache of arms and ammunition which no security agency in the state could boast of. He displayed these weapons at will just like he did on several occasions when he went on political functions and campaigns in the company of Gov. Makinde. There are even claims from certain quarters that weapons meant for the Amotekun Corps in Oyo state ended up in the hands of Lamidi and his gang members.

“Apart from the 2021 incident in which one Rahmon was killed, Lamidi followed the entourage of the governor to Kogi state, Osogbo in Osun state, Ekiti state, Igangan in Oyo state, and many other places where he used the stockpiled arms and ammunition brazenly since he was under the state cover. The question on the lips of the people is; “why did Gov. Makinde keep Auxiliary so close to the seat of power for four good years only to part ways with him immediately he got his second term mandate?

“Many members and leaders of our great Party (APC) have fallen victims to Mukaila Lamidi’s reign of terror in the past but this cannot make us support selective justice. Both the NSA and IGP should wade into the matter and ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out to unmask those who sponsored or backed Lamidi’s criminal acts in the state. With thorough and unbiased investigation, a lot would be revealed and all those responsible for political violence, thuggery, and brigandage in the state over the last five years would be made to face justice.” Oyo APC stated.

Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Hamzat Adebola, on Thursday, paraded the former Chairman of the Park Management System, Lamidi Mukaila, commonly known as Auxiliary.

The arrest came following months of pursuit after the Department of State Services detained Auxiliary at his Olodo residence in Ibadan, the state capital, on the penultimate Tuesday.

Mukaila had been on the run since the police declared him wanted for his alleged involvement in a string of armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder cases.

Adebola, addressing the media while parading the suspect at the state police command, emphasised that Mukaila would face charges in court.

He stated, “Discreet intelligence-led search commenced for the sacked PMS chieftain with the help of technology, collaborative efforts with sister services and community policing, many locations were identified, traced and combed for months until his recent arrest in a concerted effort with our sister services.”

The Commissioner outlined the extensive list of exhibits recovered from Mukaila’s possession at his Diamond Hotel residence around Alakia-Isebo Egbeda under Egbeda Local Government Area.

The recovered items include one AK-47 Rifle, four AK-47 magazines, 84 live AK-47 Ammunitions, 19 pump-action rifles, one Barreta pistol, seven cut-to-size guns, one English-made Barrel Gun, 724 live cartridges, 25 cutlasses, Seven Jack knives, 33 mobile phones, one Samsung laptop, charms, one Mazda Bus, one Toyota Sienna, and a cash sum of N3,450,000.00.

Continuing, the Police chief affirmed that Mukaila would be charged to court for the offenses committed.

He expressed gratitude to the public for providing credible information to help curb crime in the state.

Adebola also reiterated the commitment of the command to deal decisively with any criminally motivated individual or group aiming to regress the state into the historical dark ages of the “Wild West.”

In a bid to address mounting challenges including insecurity, rural-urban migration, decaying infrastructure, and widespread unemployment, the Senate has called upon President Bola Tinubu to spearhead advocacy efforts for the full autonomy of local governments across Nigeria.

The upper chamber emphasised the urgency of the matter, highlighting the need for concerted efforts to mitigate the prevailing issues.

It urged the president to initiate a comprehensive national dialogue involving key stakeholders such as governors, state legislators, local government officials, civil society organisations, and community leaders.

The aim is to devise a strategic roadmap towards achieving full autonomy for local governments.

Lawmakers, echoing widespread sentiments, underscored the critical nature of reforming the local government system, which they described as the most abused.

They emphasised the necessity of amending the 1999 constitution to facilitate the desired independence.

Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, lamented the prevalence of caretaker committees in over 17 states, which, he argued, has led to administrative gridlock within the local government setup.

Moro stressed the imperative of launching thorough investigations into systemic abuses to ensure accountability.

Adding his voice to the discourse, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of Anambra South revealed alarming statistics regarding local government elections in his state.

He disclosed that Anambra has not conducted such elections in the past 18 years, citing the non-implementation of the 1999 framework as a major hindrance to local government autonomy.