Resign if you can't protect us', Open letter to Osun CP By Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo

On June 22, 2026, I wrote an open letter to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, in which I unequivocally stated that the activities of political thugs across all parties, and the influence of their sponsors, have overwhelmed his command’s capacity to maintain law and order in the state. I also condemned the increasing spate of political killings and the public display of firearms by non-state actors who operate with impunity, undermining the authority of the Nigeria Police Force.

In my letter, I asked the police chief to resign if he could not protect innocent lives that are victims of political killings. Some citizens, within their rights to freedom of opinion, association, and thought, passed a vote of confidence in CP Ibrahim Gotan but ironically protested against the rising political killings in the state. You can not pass a vote of confidence in the same person whose major duty is to stop the political killings you are protesting against. These protesters showed the public that they could say “Yes” and “No” at the same time.

Political killings were escalating at a geometric rate, while the Osun State Police Command’s response was moving at an arithmetic one. The weight of responsibility that life places on me in times of uncertainty compelled me to write an open letter, demanding the resignation of CP Ibrahim Gotan if he could not protect the people of the state.

However, the Nigeria Police Force has since arrested the prime suspect, Saheed Tanfeani, and two others over the unjust killing of a 14-year-old boy in Ilobu, a town in Osun State. They have also arrested 24 political thugs and recovered guns, charms, axes, and cutlasses from them.

Tension has eased. Women can now go to markets without fear. Students can now attend school without the threat of being shot or killed. The crackdown on political thugs has calmed the state and may be serving as a deterrent to others and their sponsors.

The duty of the police is not to complain, make flimsy excuses, or offer silly justifications. The police have one core mandate: to protect people and their property.

When we say this to those who reflexively defend CP Ibrahim Gotan, they cite “powerful people across parties harboring criminals” as a reason for inaction. That is a flimsy, self-serving excuse. Instead of engaging the argument, they get angry and take refuge in willful ignorance.

Some who know nothing about security cloak themselves in ignorance and arrogance to push sentiment over substance. The statement they objected to was made by the Inspector-General of Police,Tunji Disu: CP Gotan must perform his duty regardless of perceived obstacles because there are established ways to address such challenges.

The police must be neutral. Their duty is to the people — especially the helpless, the disadvantaged, and those who cannot defend themselves against bullies, aggressors, killers, intimidators, and oppressors. Nothing, and no one must stand in the way of that duty.

Osun is now relatively peaceful. Political thugs have retreated into their nests, and I hope the police sustain this momentum. Those who walk over the blood of the innocent to reach power rarely endure. Politicians must not become bloodsuckers in their quest to gain or retain power. The police must identify, arrest, and prosecute thugs across all political parties.

There are more than 15 unresolved high-profile political killings in the state. The people of Osun deserve answers. They must know who killed their sons and daughters. They have a right to know the sponsors behind those killings. It would be a grave disservice if the killers and their sponsors are not brought to justice and held behind bars. CP Ibrahim Gotan must treat this as a duty owed to conscience, history, and the people of the state.

I commend the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, for visiting the state in person after initially deploying a DIG. I had intended to express concern about sending a DIG instead of coming himself, but I am encouraged that the IGP took it upon himself to address the situation directly. We must not love the state only when we are milking it dry.

Dear IGP Tunji Disu, if you still want to keep CP Ibrahim Gotan, then do it. But he must be on a re-dial, and Osun must be included in your states of particular concern.

Sodiq Lawal Chocomilo is an investigative journalist, a certified criminologist, and resident of Ilesa, Osun State