Tension escalated in Osun State on Wednesday, barely hours before the governorship election, following the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaiye, and five others by the state police command over alleged electoral offences.
The arrests have sparked a war of words between the police and the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke, with the state government and the governor’s campaign accusing security operatives of targeting opposition figures in a politically motivated crackdown.
The Osun State Police Command said the suspects were arrested during a raid on Igbalaiye’s residence in Osogbo, where officers allegedly recovered ₦4,810,500, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voter register, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine and a printer.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said one of those arrested, Oladele Abiodun, was already on the police watchlist over alleged criminal offences.
According to Ojelabi, the operation followed intelligence reports that criminal suspects were hiding at the residence.
He said preliminary investigations suggested possible offences under the Electoral Act, including alleged vote buying, criminal conspiracy and harbouring a wanted suspect.l
“The recovery of the cash and the register containing voters’ details raises serious concerns regarding possible electoral offences and other criminal activities,” the police said, adding that the exhibits had been secured for forensic examination.
The command stressed that investigations were ongoing to establish the source and intended use of the recovered funds and determine whether other individuals were connected to the alleged offences.
It maintained that no individual, regardless of political affiliation or public office, was above the law and vowed to prosecute anyone found culpable.
However, the Osun State Government rejected the allegations, accusing the police of invading the SSG’s residence without a search warrant and carrying out what it described as politically motivated raids against officials of the state government.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government alleged that a combined team of police officers led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) stormed the residence while ward officials were holding a meeting and the SSG was attending an Independent National Electoral Commission stakeholders’ forum.
Alimi claimed that members of Igbalaiye’s family and other persons present at the residence were arrested and taken to unknown locations.
He further alleged that similar operations had been carried out at the homes of about six commissioners and other senior government officials, including the Commissioner for Energy, whose residence he said was searched and properties damaged.
Describing the operations as “Gestapo-style,” the commissioner accused the police of acting in the interest of the opposition All Progressives Congress and undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
“These raids on the SSG and our commissioners are an aggravated assault on the government and people of Osun State. This campaign of repression constitutes grave danger to democracy,” Alimi said.
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He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police, the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to intervene before the situation deteriorates into a breakdown of law and order.
Also reacting, the Adeleke Campaign Organisation demanded the immediate release of its supporters allegedly arrested across the state.
Speaking after a visit to the Force Intelligence Response Team headquarters in Abuja, the campaign’s spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, claimed that more than 86 supporters had been arrested over the past few days and detained without lawful justification.
He alleged that 36 of those arrested had been transferred to Keffi Correctional Centre, while another 14 were moved to Kuje Correctional Centre despite not being charged with any offence.
Olajengbesi described the arrests as politically motivated and aimed at intimidating opposition supporters ahead of the governorship election.
He also accused the Osun State Commissioner of Police of compromising the integrity of the electoral process and called on Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to ensure a free, fair and credible election.
“We want the Inspector-General of Police to ensure that there is a free and fair election in Osun State. People must be allowed to exercise their franchise and vote for the candidate of their choice,” he said.
The police, however, dismissed the campaign’s claims, insisting that only six adults were arrested during the operation.
Ojelabi denied allegations that security operatives raided the residences of commissioners, maintaining that officers acted solely on credible intelligence.
“Just six persons were arrested.
All adults… The police did not invade the houses of commissioners. They only went based on information and arrested these people in the house of the SSG,” he said.
Responding to calls for the removal of the state Commissioner of Police, Ojelabi said such a decision rests with the Inspector-General of Police and not the commissioner himself.
The development has heightened political tension in Osun State as voters prepare to elect a new governor amid concerns over security and the conduct of the electoral process.
