Ex-Osun Gov. Oyinlola plans to sue the IG of the police department for failing to produce a report on MTN

Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former Governor of Osun State, is planning to sue the Inspector-General (IGP) for allegedly refusing to release the IG Monitoring Team Report in relation to his appeal against MTN Nigeria and others.

In a letter dated January 27, 2023 and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Oyinlola stated that he had no alternative but to initiate legal action because the force’s unwillingness to provide the abovementioned report created the image of a cover-up.

The anticipated report, which dates back to 2013, focused on a probe into MTN Nigeria Ltd’s case of conspiracy, forgery, and distortion of the course of law.

According to Oyinlola, the police recommended that MTN Nigeria be punished under Section 167(8) of the Evidence Act for attempting to suppress evidence in the case.

In his petition to the police in 2012, Oyinlola accused then-Justice Ayo Salami of having an unholy relationship with some chieftains of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in order to pervert the course of justice when Justice Salami presided over the Osun State governorship election petition tribunal involving the ACN and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

He alleged that a phone conversation occurred between and among ACN chieftains, its lawyers, Justice Ayo Salami (now retired), and his closest friend, Tunji Ijaiya, which MTN desperately sought to conceal from the NJC’s Special Investigative Panel.

Amongst the phone numbers the petitioner thought to have conducted discussions with the then presiding Justice of the electoral tribunal are 08034240000 and 0802240104, “both numbers, I am confident are/were being used by Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The latter is registered in Tunde Folawiyo’s name as MTN Director. The former is registered in the name of Tinubu’s Personal Assistant, Gbadegesin Ademola.

“MTN executives. The police should question all four people about when ownership of the two subscriber lines changed, according to Oyinlola.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Gbadegesin Ademola (Tinubu’s aide), Justice Ayo Salami, Tunde Folawiyo, Tunji Ijaiya, and Rotimi Odusola must also go before the police to “narrate their involvement in the big conspiracy to pervert the course of justice,” he said.

However, Oyinlola alleged that the police have been refusing to provide him with the aforementioned report since 2013.

The former governor stated in a letter titled RE: Protest at the Refusal of the Nigerian Police Force to Release Report of Investigation Carried Out by IGP Monitoring Team in Respect of Petitions against MTN Nigeria Communications, Certain Staff of The Nigerian Communications Commission, and One Simon Egede (REF: CR3000/IGPSEC/ABJ/VOL. 103/603) signed by his aide, Mr Adeolu Oyinlola on January 27, “Given

Prior to the January 27 letter, the petitioners had written similar protest letters dated January 4 and 26, 2023, and December 20, 2022, in which they expressed their “surprise and disappointment at the police’s refusal to release to us the report of investigation carried out by the IGP Monitoring Team in relation to petitions” written by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

“Having written more than 10 letters requesting the release of the aforementioned report in the intervening period of eight years (and counting) acknowledged copies of four of which letters are attached to this correspondence, we have good reason to believe that a cover-up has patently been hatched and is being overtly executed by certain persons in the Nigerian Police Force”, the letter dated December 20, 2022 read in part.

Oyinlola, who claimed to be the only witness during the investigation submitted that there was a manipulation of the Call Detail Records (CDRs) forwarded to the police by MTN at the behest of the National Judicial Council (NJC) sometime in 2013 which necessitated the initial complaint.

According to him, “only the Originating (Outgoing) components were made available, while the Terminating (Incoming) components were withheld in order to conceal the identity of callers.

“The implication of the foregoing is that MTN can (and did) manipulate the Call Detail Records of persons being investigated by law enforcement and security agencies ” he added.

While the letter appealed to the police “to be conscious of the verdict of history and mindful of the judgment of posterity; it implored the IG to use his good office “to cause the release of the report in question to us without further delay”.