BY LEKE ADESERI, South West Regional Editor & OLA AJAYI
FOLLOWING their refusal to report at the Police Headquarters, Eleyele, to explain their involvement in the recent bloody clash that led to the death of scores of people, Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, has declared leaders of the factionalized union, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola and Alhaji Lamidi Mukaila, wanted.

The two leaders of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state, Akinsola a.k.a.Tokyo and Mukaila a.k.a. Auxiliary, were asked to report to the police by 4.00 p.m on Tuesday but they did not show up.

The CP said it became necessary to declare them wanted having failed to honour the invitation by the police. He said that so far, six suspects of the warring factions had been arrested for their alleged involvement in the bloody clash which claimed many lives including the National President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Mr. Auwal Shanono, on Sunday.

He said two of the suspects were arrested at the back of a filling station while the other two were apprehended at Egbeda.

Bolanta also said the two union leaders were on police wanted list for alleged conspiracy, arson, armed robbery and unlawful possession of prohibited fire arms.

While calling on residents in the state to give the police useful information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects, he assured them that their information would be treated with utmost secrecy. The police boss called on the people of the state to volunteer information that could lead to their arrest and prosecution, adding that the identity of such volunteer would be held in confidence.

He pleaded with anyone with relevant information that would help the police to call these numbers 08081774001, 081266595595, 08059742383, and 08080773722. He faulted the decision of the suspects to ask their lawyers to represent them saying their  lawyers should have brought them to the police station and wait to defend them in court.

Open letter to governor

Meantime, the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Adisa Bolanta told Vanguard yesterday that the wanted men should come out of  hiding and answer to the charges against them. Speaking on the content of Akinsola’s open letter to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, the police boss said emphatically that the two men are being sought for the same offence.

According to him; “Tokyo is desperately looking for a way of escape and we cannot allow that to happen.

“He cannot choose the police formation that will deal with his case. We also learnt that he is boasting that he cannot be picked up but I ask if he is above the law and wether the offence for which we are looking for him is false.”

On the issue of a police woman being forced to alter her report that favoured Tokyo, the Commissioner said; “Don’t mind Tokyo. Infact we have dismissed the policewoman in question for divulging official signal to Tokyo which he used for an advertorial word for word not minding the fact that the policewoman took an oath of secrecy.”