Osun NSCDC Gives Conditions for Settlement of Crises with Peace Corps

Mr Philip Ayodele, the Commandant of Osun Nigeria Security and Civil Defense (NSCDC), on Friday insisted that he still has an axe to grind with the Osun Peace Corps of Nigeria unless they produce their officers that beat up his personnel.

Ayodele made this known while addressing newsmen at the NSCDC Command in Osogbo, stating that “it was an insult for members of the Peace Corps (which has not been gazetted) to beat up a uniform personnel of the NSCDC.”

He insisted that until the officers of the Peace Corps, named Alata and Adamu are produce and brought to the NSCDC Command, the issue cannot be settled.

Giving the genesis of what happened in a press statement, the NSCDC PRO, Babawale Afolabi said personnel of the corps named Olarinoye, on Saturday was accosted and beaten up by one Ayinde John, a Peace Corps member and others, along Ilesha roads, contrary to claims that Olarinoye was blocking the Peace Corps quarter guard.

He said earlier, sometime in December, Olarinoye had an encounter with men of the Peace Corps, when he and a colleague went to inspect their car at a mechanic workshop, some metres away from the Peace Corps Command.

He said when his officers got to the mechanic workshop; they met some individuals who allegedly tampered with the windscreen and doors of the car in other to cart away valuables in the car.

He said when they were questioning the mechanic about the condition of the car, some Peace Corps members around the workshop took offence and started beating the mechanic.

He said when NSCDC men rescued the mechanic from them, they became irritated and unleashed their hanger on the NSCDC officers, including Olarinoye.

He said when the NSCDC commandant heard about the Saturday incident, he called the Peace Corps commandant, but instead of the commandant honouring his call, eight unruly members of the Peace Corps led by Olatawura Oluwole, few hours later, forcefully entered the NSCDC premises with intent to cause mayhem.

Afolabi said for the timely intervention of the NSCDC commandant, the mayhem was averted, stating that the NSCDC would never be involved in any action or inaction that would jeopardize peaceful co-existence in the state and Nigeria at large.

But giving his own side of what transpired, Mr Akande Olawale,  Deputy Commandant, Admin of Peace Corps of Nigeria, Osun, said his commandant told him to go and see the NSCDC commandant to iron out issues and that when he got to their base, him and his men were beaten and thrown in detention.

He said when he went down to the NSCDC command as instructed by his commandant, his car was vandalised and that he was equally detained alongside his men and driver for an hour.

Olawale said the claim that an officer of the NSCDC was beaten by his men

was not true, that the officer in question got himself injured when he angrily rose  up from under a signpost he was seated, whereby hitting his head against the post.

He said the NSCDC Officer angrily got up to challenge his men on the power they have to be controlling traffic at the entrance to their base, and that all his men did was that they ask him to remove his car that was blocking the route to their base.

“The commandant of the NSCDC after releasing me and my men, ask me to produce the people that beat up his personal, and I promised to investigate and interrogate those involved, and get back to him.

“It was however surprising to me that the NSCDC wrote a letter that I should produce the two officers they claimed beat up their personnel after we had reached an agreement that I will investigate and interrogate those involved in the matter and get back to them.”

He said the NSCDC was subjecting them to humiliation because they are allowed to carry firearms and said he too had instructed his people not to collect any summon letter from the NSCDC, that God would do justice to the matter