By Ayodele Oni

The raid on the resident of the Osun state Secretary to Government, ( SSG) Teslim Igbalaye, and his subsequent arrest have continued to generate reactions as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, shed morelight on the incident.

His account, which contradicts the version given by the State Police Command’s spokesperson, stated that Igbalaye’s arrest was in retaliation for an earlier booing of the State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan by people.

Egbedun accused the State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, of ordering the arrest of Igbalaye, in retaliation for being booed at a public event.

He said the abuse of power involved “should be a source of concern and embarrassment to every patriotic Nigerian.”

In a personally signed statement, the Speaker said he witnessed the trigger for the arrest at an Independent National Electoral Commission stakeholders’ meeting he attended alongside the Deputy Governor and Igbalaye.

“We all witnessed the unfortunate moment when Commissioner Gotan was booed while on the podium by citizens of Osun State.

“Immediately he returned to his seat, he looked directly towards us. At that moment, the SSG laughed,” he said.

Egbedun said he grew uneasy after watching Gotan reach for his phone.

“The next thing I observed was Commissioner Gotan picking up his telephone and making a series of calls.

“From what I saw, I turned to the SSG and said, the Commissioner of Police has just ordered your arrest,” he said.

His prediction, he said, played out within minutes.

“A few minutes later, the SSG received a telephone call informing him that police officers were waiting for him at his residence. He immediately stood up and left the event, leaving the Deputy Governor and me behind,” he said.

Igbalaye later told him he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department over items allegedly recovered from his compound.

“He informed me that he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) because the police allegedly recovered N4 million and two voter cards belonging to members of his political party who were holding a meeting within his compound.

“I honestly do not understand how such an allegation justified inviting, or attempting to arrest, a public official of his standing.”

The Osun Police Command had given a different account of the raid. Its Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said officers acted on intelligence that criminal gangs were hiding out in Osogbo and recovered N4,810,500, two Permanent Voter’s Cards, a voter register and other items suspected to be linked to electoral offences.

He said only six suspects, all adults, were arrested, dismissing claims by the Adeleke campaign that dozens more had been picked up.

Gotan has also pushed back on calls for his removal, according to Ojelabi, saying the decision on his posting rests with the Inspector-General of Police and not with him.

Egbedun pointed out that the SSG’s arrest was not an isolated incident, citing a personal experience with Gotan that he said should help the public understand his concerns.

“We received credible intelligence that some thugs were planning to attack my residence. My security personnel and I remained on high alert in anticipation of the attack.

“However, to my greatest surprise, my police orderly received a call from Commissioner Gotan directing that every police officer attached to me should report to his office for questioning that very day.

“I immediately telephoned the Commissioner and told him that I am a proud son of Onikoyi, and that I neither fear nor bow to intimidation.

“I made it abundantly clear that I would never abandon my state or my ancestral home because of anyone, particularly someone I regard as a stranger. I also reminded him that, ultimately, every act of wrongdoing attracts its own consequences,” he said

Egbedun said he had since received intelligence that some officers under Gotan were plotting to implicate and arrest him too.

“For the past two weeks, I have received information suggesting that some of his officers have been moving around, allegedly planning and strategising on how to implicate and arrest me.

“Many people have advised me to leave Osun State or vacate my residence for my own safety. However, I have consistently maintained that I will not abandon Osun for anyone.

“If those behind these alleged plans decide to carry them out, I remain resolute in my belief that justice will ultimately prevail and that evil will never triumph over righteousness.

“I, therefore, make a sincere appeal to the Inspector General of Police to urgently intervene and relieve the people of Osun State of what I consider the hardship and intimidation they have endured under the leadership of Commissioner Ibrahim Gotan.

“The people of Osun are peaceful, law-abiding citizens who deserve policing that is professional, impartial and respectful of the rule of law,” he added.

By Ayodele Oni

Osun State Government has accused the Nigeria Police of selective enforcement of the law as the governorship election draws nearer.

The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Jimi-Bada, SAN, who addressed a press conference in Osogbo on the spate of arrest of members of Accord Party in the State declared that “We will not accept the detention of citizens without clear legal justification.

“We will not accept a situation where allegations are shifted from one ground to another in search of justification after the fact. We will not accept  selective enforcement. We will not accept media trial. We will not accept the criminalisation of lawful political association.

“The Government of Osun State recognises the constitutional role of the Nigeria Police Force. We do not oppose lawful investigation.

“We do not support criminality. We do not shield anyone who is properly suspected of committing an offence. Nobody is above the law.

“However, it must be said with equal firmness that the law is also above every institution, including the police.

“Law enforcement must be carried out with fairness, neutrality, restraint, and strict compliance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“From the information available to the Government of Osun State, the Secretary to the State Government was not at home when his residence was raided.

“He was not arrested at the scene. He did not flee. He did not evade the police. Upon being informed that persons had been arrested at his residence, he voluntarily proceeded to the Force Headquarters to assist the process and to seek administrative bail for those arrested.

“It is therefore shocking that a senior public official who voluntarily submitted himself to law enforcement authorities, not as a fugitive but as a responsible citizen, was subsequently detained.

“This is a matter of serious concern. If a citizen who voluntarily goes to the police to assist an inquiry can be turned into a detainee without clear and credible grounds, then every citizen is at risk.

“We have been informed that some members of the Accord Party were present at the residence in connection with the distribution of funds intended for lawful party logistics.

“Political parties are entitled to organise their members, arrange transportation, mobilisation, feeding, communication, and other legitimate election-related logistics, provided such activities are conducted within the law.

“It is important to emphasise that the Osun State Governorship Election is scheduled for 15th August, 2026. The incident in question occurred on 29th July, 2026.

“No governorship election was taking place in Osun State on that date. No polling units were open. No ballot was being cast. No voter was in a voting queue. No collation was taking place.

“While the law rightly prohibits voter inducement and electoral bribery, such a serious allegation must be supported by credible, specific, and admissible evidence.

“The mere possession or distribution of funds for party logistics should not be hastily labelled as vote-buying without proof of unlawful inducement of voters.

“The distinction is important. Party logistics are not, by themselves, a crime. Political mobilisation is not, by itself, a crime. Printing campaign materials is not a crime. Holding a meeting in a private residence is not a crime. Belonging to an opposition or minority political party is not a crime.

“We have also been informed that the police allegedly recorded or displayed some Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, found with persons at the residence.

“The information available to us is that those PVCs belonged to the Accord Party members who were present at the residence. If a citizen is in lawful possession of his or her own PVC, that fact alone does not constitute an offence.

“Furthermore, INEC has already released the voters’ register to political parties in accordance with the electoral process. A voters’ register that INEC has lawfully released can be printed or reproduced by political parties for legitimate electoral planning, mobilisation, verification, and polling-unit organisation.

“The possession of printed copies of the voters’ register, without more, should not be sensationalised as evidence of criminal conduct.

“If the police have contrary evidence, they should disclose it in accordance with the law. They should state clearly whose PVC was found with whom. They should state whether any PVC was found in the unlawful possession of another person.

“They should state whether any voter was identified as having been offered money in exchange for a vote. They should state whether any written statement, video recording, marked money, or direct complaint supports the allegation of vote-buying.”

The commissioner called on election stakeholders topay special attention tothe August poll in the state to ensure peaceful conduct.

“We call on INEC, civil society organisations, election observers, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission, and all lovers of democracy to pay close attention to this matter and to the general conduct of security agencies ahead of the 15th August, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.”

By Ayodele Oni

Fumiso Babarinde, an Aide to Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke has clarified that the sum of N4.8m recovered from the resident of the State Secretary to Government’s, ( SSG) Teslim Igbalage, was meant for empowerment.

Disputing the claim by the State Police Command that the money was meant for vote buying ahead next month election, Babarinde, who is a Senior Special Adviser to the State Governor, said  that no electoral offence has been committed.

Babarinde made the clarification during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, while reacting to the controversy surrounding the police operation at the SSG’s residence ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

This is just as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State concluded plans to stage a peaceful protest and address a press conference to draw public attention to what it described as the unfolding situation in the State.

He argued that N4.8 million was not an unusual amount for an official occupying the office of the Secretary to the State Government and noted that empowerment programmes were routinely organised by government officials at different levels.

He alleged that the raid took place while Igbalaye was attending a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with political stakeholders in the state.

According to Babarinde, police operatives from the Osun State Police Command stormed the SSG’s residence and arrested several party canvassers who had gathered there.

He said Igbalaye later drove himself to the police headquarters after learning about the operation in a bid to secure the release of those arrested but was detained upon arrival.

Babarinde disclosed that police recovered N4.8 million in cash, voters’ registers for Osogbo Local Government Area, two voter cards, a laptop and a printer during the raid.

He explained that the voter registers were public documents obtained from INEC and were being reproduced for party canvassers who would embark on grassroots mobilisation across the 15 electoral wards in Osogbo Local Government.

He emphasized that the printer and laptop were being used to produce copies of the registers for distribution to party members involved in house-to-house campaigns.

He further stated that police claimed some persons they had been searching for were among those arrested at the residence, adding that while some detainees had been released, others remained in custody as of Thursday morning.

He maintained that there was nothing illegal about possessing or reproducing the voter register, describing it as a public document made available by INEC.

He also questioned the basis of the vote-buying allegations, insisting that those gathered at the residence were members of the ruling party rather than voters being induced to support a candidate.

Babarinde accused security operatives of portraying legitimate political activities as criminal acts and maintained that the operation was politically motivated.