Nigeria Police Confirm Fake Warrant Was Used To Arrest Talolorun

Nigeria Police Confirm Fake Warrant Was Used To Arrest Traditional Religion Practitioner, Talolorun, Charged For Insulting Islamic Clerics

The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, told The PUNCH on Monday that the command had no idea which court issued the warrant to arrest the Isese (traditional religion) activist, Talolorun.

The police in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria, have confirmed that the warrant used to arrest Adegbola Abdulazeez, a traditional religion practitioner and activist also known as Talolorun, was fake.

Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, on Sunday, said the Nigeria police arrested Talolorun with a fake warrant.

According to the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 presidential election, the police also asked the state government to allow them to prosecute Talolorun without the involvement of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“#FreeTaniOlorun: The charade by special interests in Ilorin to secretly jail Tani Olohun exposed, first they got a fake arrest warrant from Area Court to get him arrested, now asking state govt to let them prosecute him without involving the DPP’s office,” Sowore posted on his Facebook page on Sunday.

SaharaReporters reported on Saturday that prison authorities in Kwara State denied family members and activists access to Talolorun, who was remanded by a magistrate court in Ilorin.

According to charges filed against the Talolorun seen by SaharaReporters on Saturday, he was accused of planning to start a war by “inviting other traditional and idol worshippers to assemble in Ilorin on the 20th of August, 2023”, among others.

In the charge sheet, Talolorun was also accused of blasphemy, insulting the Islamic religion and inciting the public against the authorities. He was also accused of burning the Quran and insulting and defaming the Chief Imam of Offa, Muuhideen Hussein and some other clerics.

However, some of his family members and Isese activists who spoke to SaharaReporters on Saturday said the police prevented them from seeing Talolorun.