The First Lady of Osun State, Mrs Titilola Adeleke, has led scores of women to the headquarters of the State Police Command in Osogbo to protest alleged intimidation of voters and political actors ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

Coming few days before the off-cycle gubernatorial poll, the protest, staged on Monday, saw Adeleke joined by the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Ayobola Awolowo, and the Special Adviser to the governor on Market Affairs, Mrs Eniola Omotoso.

It was learnt that the protesters marched from the Lameco area through the West Bypass to the police command, where they submitted a letter of protest to the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duties, CP Samuel Etaifo.

Speaking during the protest, Adeleke demanded that the police ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, alleging that some political leaders were being targeted for arrest by opposition elements.

She specifically raised concerns over the alleged arrest and treatment of the Commissioner for Environment the previous Saturday, claiming that the official was subjected to degrading treatment while in police custody.

“From what we heard, we learnt that they will start picking our leaders up this week. Last Friday, they picked up the Commissioner for Environment. He was brought here, stripped naked. This is not good enough. They should leave our people alone,” Adeleke said.

The First Lady urged the police to ensure that voters and political actors were not intimidated or harassed before or during the election.

Responding to the protesters, Etaifo assured them that the police were committed to maintaining peace and providing a secure environment for the election.

The commissioner, however, cautioned political actors against actions capable of escalating tension in the state, saying the protest itself could undermine the relative calm recorded since his deployment.

“If you notice, since I came, we have had relative peace in the state. But the problem we have is that we cannot continue to tolerate what you have done today because it will not contribute to peace; it will cause tension again,” Etaifo said.

He explained that his deployment to Osun was based on a directive from the Inspector-General of Police, with the mandate to stabilise the state and ensure that all political actors could participate in the electoral process without fear.

“I have the mandate of the Inspector-General of Police to come to the state and stabilise things, give an enabling environment for every political actor to exercise their franchise, to create public confidence for everyone to come out to vote on election day,” he said.

Etaifo also assured the protesters that the command would study the issues raised in their petition and adjust its security strategy where necessary.

“We are going to go back and restrategise to attend to all your demands,” he added.

The August 15 governorship election has heightened political activities across Osun, with rival parties and their supporters intensifying campaigns and raising concerns over security and the conduct of the poll.