The Department of State Services has reportedly arrested Mukaila Lamidi, the embattled chairman of the Oyo State Park Management System, popularly known as Auxiliary.
The PUNCH reliably gathered that Auxiliary was arrested at about 4:00 pm on Tuesday at his residence in the Olodo area of Ibadan, the state capital.
Although the reasons for his arrest are still sketchy, a source who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because of the weight of the matter said it was because of an interview he granted on Saturday, May 4, in which he called out Seye Famojuro, a trusted ally of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, for being behind his woes.
In the interview with journalists, Ajibola Akinyefa, in the Yoruba Language, the former PMS chairman said, “If he (Famojuro) is the governor or Seyi Makinde is, we will know. It is just a matter of time. Everybody will face the consequences of their actions. The people he chose to manage the park are cheating themselves.
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When asked if it was his hooliganism that led to his removal, Auxiliary queried how many people reported that he beat them to the police.
He further said that Seye would still return to Ijesha because Ibadan is not his homeland.
“Seye will still go back to Ijesha because Ibadan is not his town. Only Governor Seyi Makinde and I will remain here because we won’t run away. And I see that the bird is not working, but God feeds it. Seye will reap the seeds of his actions,” he added.
In May 2023, Auxiliary was arrested after being linked to an alleged attempt by his loyalists to cause trouble in the state following the dissolution of the PMS committee by Makinde.
An impeccable source who spoke with PUNCH Metro said the police acted swiftly to prevent a breakdown of law and order in the state, adding that during the raid, Lamidi escaped.
The source, who craved anonymity over fears of harassment, said, “From what we gathered, the police acted on the information that some members of the Auxiliary’s camp wanted to cause trouble based on the government disbanding their operations in the state.
“So, the police were proactive, stormed their location, made some arrests and recovered some arms and ammunition. But Auxiliary was not arrested. The people arrested were in connection with the fact that intelligence linked them to an attempt to cause trouble in the state today.”
However, attempts to reach the spokesperson for DSS, Peter Afunnaya, proved abortive as several calls made to him were unanswered and text messages ignored.
