A civil society group, the Oyo Rising Citizens Forum (ORCF), has condemned as “evil and absurd” a circulating rumour linking Senator Sharafadeen Alli to the abduction of the younger sister of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
In a press statement signed by Aderemi Adebisi and Owolabi Salam, the group blamed the allegation on “disreputable individuals” with no legitimate means of livelihood who, it said, are willing to do the dirty work of desperate, failed political actors in the state.
The statement described the purveyors of the story as professional blackmailers whose paymasters have “sold their conscience for a few coins.
””Ordinarily, we would have ignored such cheap blackmail from characters of ill repute,” the ORCF said, “but we are compelled to expose and educate the public about the malicious antics of these people.
“The group added that those spreading the rumour are known for calumny and have no credible evidence to substantiate their claims.
The ORCF stressed that Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, is a man of integrity who has never been associated with brigandage.
The statement noted that Alli was among the first public figures to denounce the abduction of Adelabu’s sister and her children and that he urged security agencies to take all necessary steps to secure their safe return.
Calling on the public to disregard the malicious claim, the group urged the Oyo State Police Command to launch a full investigation into the origin of the rumour and to hold those responsible to account.