Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin was yesterday interrogated for hours at the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele and detained, in connection with the last Thursday’s killing of the factional leader of the Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Salako (a.k.a Eleweomo).

The embattled Senate leader breezed into the police headquarters to honour the invitation of the state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Baba Adisa Bolanta, at about 9.00 a.m.

He was accompanied by other prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) factional leaders in the state including: the arrow head of the group, Senator Lekan Balogun; former Power and Steel minister, Elder Wole Oyelese; Chief Yekini Adeojo, Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Ayo Adeseun and former secretary to Oyo State Government during the administration of Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Alhaji Sarafadeen Alli.
They were immediately led into Bolanta’s office where a high-powered team of investigators led by the police commissioner himself, grilled the senator.

The closed-door session went side-by-side meeting with the PDP leaders. Details of the meeting which lasted for over three hours could not be ascertained as at press time, but the police chief, his officers and the politicians emerged from the parley at 12.20 p.m., refusing elaborate comment on its outcome to a battery of anxious reporters who had laid siege on the command.

Senator Folarin, wearing a cream colour embroidered buba and sokoto with a cap to match and looking slightly ruffled, was later led in a convoy of police vehicle to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku to write a formal statement on what he knew about the circumstances that led to the death of the slain union leader.

Salako was gruesomely murdered during a bloody fracas between loyalists of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala and Folarin at I.D.C. Primary playground, Ona-Ara Local Government, venue of last week’s controversial PDP local government congress.
At first, the Senate leader was led to board a Hilux police patrol van, but he was later allowed to ride in his own private car after pleas from his associates.
Bolanta declined comment from inquisitive newsmen.

But when pressured, the leader of the coalition, Senator Balogun, who had been unsparing in his criticisms of the police command’s perceived partisanship in the whole matter, said the parley provided an opportunity for both parties to understand one another’s position. “The meeting promoted mutual understanding, I guess confidence will follow after a time.”

He added that part of the issues discussed included political developments in the state and the ill-fated party congress.
He reiterated his call for Bolanta’s redeployment, saying nothing had changed in regard to the police boss alleged bias against his group.
“He may be a very nice person as a person but he has shown too much partisanship in the past. May be this is a new beginning. We expected the CP to be professional in the handling of the rift and not to be a biased umpire. He’s expected to be objective in arbitrating all over the state without respect for anybody.”
Balogun said he and his colleagues came to show solidarity with the Senate leader, who, he described as “our political son and colleague.”
By press time, 7.00 p.m., Folarin was still at the SCID, Iyaganku.

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