Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd.), has called for the arrest of politicians and other prominent Nigerians whose statements could incite violence, following controversy over Senator Francis Fadahunsi’s remarks ahead of the Osun governorship election.
Irabor made the call while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
The former military chief condemned the statement attributed to Fadahunsi, the senator representing Osun East, and commended the Nigeria Police Force for inviting the lawmaker for questioning.
Fadahunsi was questioned by the police following a viral video in which he was alleged to have directed his supporters to kill members of the Accord Party and their family members ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
The senator has denied the allegation, insisting after his police interrogation that the video had been edited to misrepresent his comments.
Irabor said individuals who make statements capable of triggering violence should face law enforcement action, regardless of their political or social standing.
“For me as a person, any time we hear individuals who make inciting comments, I think that such people should be picked up immediately,” he said.
He added that Fadahunsi’s comments appeared to border on incitement to violence and said the senator should be questioned beyond the initial police invitation.
Irabor also called for action against Islamic clerics Sani Jingir and Ahmad Gumi over statements he described as potentially inciting.
He said enforcing the law against people who make inflammatory statements would help reassure security agencies and boost the morale of the country’s defence and security forces.
The former Chief of Defence Staff further linked inflammatory political rhetoric to the deployment of troops ahead of elections.
According to him, military deployment for elections should primarily serve as a deterrent rather than involve soldiers directly in electioneering duties.
He said the language being used by some political actors was reminiscent of Nigeria’s First Republic and warned against repeating past experiences of political violence.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, with heightened security measures already in place across the state.
The controversy surrounding Fadahunsi comes amid growing concerns over political violence ahead of the poll. Other political actors and civil society groups have also called for security agencies to hold anyone promoting violence accountable.
