THE flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming September 22 governorship poll in Osun, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Sunday demanded the unconditional release of the principal of Ede Muslim High School 1, Ede, Mr Khalid Abass Adejare by the Police authorities.
Adejare, who was apprehended by detectives from Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos within the premises of his school, in Ede, on Wednesday allegedly signed the statement of results and testimonial of Adeleke, who was said to have finished his secondary school education in 1981 at Ede Muslim High School 1.
But, in a press statement issued by the director of media and publicity of Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Mr Olawale Rasheed, which was forwarded to the Nigerian Tribune in Osogbo, the PDP candidate contended that the arrest of the principal of his alma mater was politically motivated, describing the development as highly condemnable.
According to the statement, “we are constrained to issue this statement on the recent arrest and persecution of the principal of Ede Muslim High School over false accusations of forged school testimonial issued to Senator Ademola Adeleke as a former student of the school because of a date error. We note with great alarm the politically motivated arrest and unwarranted media attacks designed as a tool of harassment, persecution and character assassination of the PDP flag bearer; Senator Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke”.
It reads thus, “it is insane to continue to peddle falsehood questioning Senator Adeleke’s attendance of Ede Muslim Grammar School (Now Ede Muslim High School), where he was very popular and well known for his amiable and friendly character, always drawing people close and seeking their cheerfulness and joy, a fact his schoolmates and alumni members attested to. He was in fact the president of the Old students association until recently”.
“We note with great concern the ridiculous criminalising of a simple issuance of school testimonial to a former student. The politicisation of a routine school administrative process is hereby condemned in its strictest terms and we call the Police authorities to please call their men to order and redirect their attention and efforts to investigating and solving real crimes and not trumped up accusations”.
“It must be reaffirmed that issuance of a testimonial duly signed by authorities of the school to an ex-student cannot be a crime irrespective of the date on it. There is clearly more to this exercise than routine investigation. How can a date issue on a testimonial and not a certificate be a matter that attracts the attention of FCIB Alagbon officers from Lagos?
“We therefore call on the police authorities to unconditionally release Mr Abbass Khalib Adejare; the principal of Ede Muslim High School who is currently held in Lagos, a distant and disconnected jurisdiction of school in Ede, Osun State. The school under his supervision had only performed a legal administrative duty through the issuance of a testimonial. Please note that a testimonial is simply a statement of character attestation and confirmation of the years of attendance at the school and not a school certificate”, the statement concluded.
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