President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly have been urged to thoroughly investigate the ongoing allegations against the renowned oil marketer, Alhaji Abayomi Kamal Alaka over his alleged connection with the dreaded Baddo cult group based in Ikorodu/Epe axis of Lagos State.
Rising from its annual general meeting, the Ogbomoso Young Professionals Forum on Monday in Ogbomoso described the criminal allegation leveled against Alhaji Alaka by the Lagos Police Commissioner, Edgal Imohimi without a proper legal procedure as unpalatable and uncalled for.
Speaking through its President, Comrade Demola Alao, the group accused the Lagos CP of playing politics and conniving with some business rivals of Alhaji Alaka to bring down the Ogbomoso-born oil merchant.
Comrade Alao while addressing journalists, argued that, the Lagos Police boss should not have been quick to declare Alhaji Abayomi Alaka wanted without inviting him for questioning and give him fair hearing to clear his name from the allegations.
The group therefore, enjoined President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to wade into the matter by properly investigate the matter and call on Lagos Police Commissioner to order before the issue degenerated into another political crisis.
According to the group, “It has been brought to our notice, the recent wanted notice declared by the Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi on Alhaji Abayomi Alaka for allegedly sponsoring the dreaded Baddo cult group in Ikorodu and Epe axis of Lagos State.
“Nothing could be farther from the truth. Alhaji Abayomi Alaka Kamal is a respected son of Ogbomoso and a renowned petroleum marketer and owner of Alaka Petroleum who also has huge investments in estate management.
“Alhaji Alaka, who is an employer of labour and an ambassador of Ogbomoso town, someone who has taken many jobless Nigerian youths off the streets cannot be associated with evil acts especially with his reputation as a resected Muslim cleric and oil marketer.
“Our position at Ogbomoso Professionals Forum is not to be the judge, but urging the Nigerian police and federal government to allow the will of justice to prevail by allowing Alhaji Abayomi Alaka to be fully investigated in a public court and give him fair hearing before declaring him wanted without a legal procedure.”
The group wondered why the Lagos Police boss would persistently connec the oil marketer with Baddo operations despite searching Alaka’s house without finding anything incriminating.
The group said, “in the wake of this unprecedented event, as professional indigenes of Ogbomoso, we viewed the action of the Lagos Police Commissioner, CP Edgal Imohimi as being politically motivated to get rid of Alaka from the oil business.
“As professionals, we have firm believe in President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade and zero tolerance for crimes and criminality, hence we are urging the President to use his good office to constitute a panel of unblemished characters to properly investigate the matter from the bottom to allow justice to prevail.
“We strongly believe in the rule of law and preach against any form of criminality in its entirety, thus, calling on the Lagos CP to toe the line of Justice and withdraw the wanted threat against Alhaji Abayomi Alaka Kamal and give him a level playing ground to clear his name in the court of law”.
The group however, emphasized that, if Alhaji Alaka is found guilty of all allegations, it would not hesitate to disown him and blacklist him from the good book of Ogbomoso town.
-Akin Alade
