The Osun State Police Command is investigating the alleged self-kidnapping of Shakirulahi Babatunde, a media aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke, amid conflicting claims by the state government and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development followed reports that Babatunde had claimed to have been abducted, prompting government officials to report the incident to the police and the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad to commence investigations.

According to ThisDay, Governor Adeleke’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, dismissed claims that senior government officials were attempting to influence the investigation or prevent the police from pursuing the incident.

Rasheed said the government itself initiated the police report after receiving a message from Babatunde indicating that he had been kidnapped. He also rejected allegations that the Chief of Staff to the governor, Kazeem Akinleye, or other officials had attempted to bribe the police to abandon the case.

The spokesperson maintained that the investigation was being handled by the police without interference from the state government, describing reports of an alleged attempt to suppress the case as unfounded.

However, the Osun APC has accused the state government of attempting to use the incident to implicate the opposition and create political tension in the state.

The party, through its Director of Information and Strategy, Mongaji Kola Olabisi, claimed that Babatunde was arrested at a hideout by officers from Dugbe Divisional Police Station in Osogbo and allegedly confessed to staging the abduction with accomplices.

The APC also questioned the manner in which the incident was initially presented publicly, alleging that some government officials had blamed the opposition for what it described as a fabricated kidnapping.

As of the time of filing this report, the police had not issued an official public statement confirming the circumstances surrounding Babatunde’s alleged arrest or the claims attributed to him.