Tension escalated ahead of the Osun State governorship election after the police arrested the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, and five others during a raid on his residence in Osogbo over allegations of electoral offences.
The Osun State Government and Governor Ademola Adeleke’s campaign, however, condemned the operation, accusing the police of targeting opposition figures in what they described as a politically motivated crackdown ahead of the poll.
The Osun State Police Command said officers acting on intelligence raided Igbalaiye’s residence, where they recovered ₦4,810,500, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15, a laptop, a photocopy machine and a printer.
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Police also disclosed that one of those arrested, Oladele Abiodun, was on its watchlist over alleged criminal offences.
Others arrested alongside the SSG were identified as Akande Taiwo, Adeyemo Lukman, Olaoye Muftau and Aderemi Musliu.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the recovered items had been taken into custody for forensic examination.
“The recovery of the cash and the register containing voters’ details raises serious concerns regarding possible electoral offences and other criminal activities,” the statement said.
According to the police, investigators are probing possible offences, including vote buying under Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022, criminal conspiracy, harbouring a wanted suspect and any other offences that may emerge during the investigation.
The command said investigations were ongoing to determine the source and intended use of the recovered funds and identify everyone connected to the exhibits.
It stressed 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 and accused the police of carrying out an unlawful operation.
In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government alleged that officers invaded the SSG’s residence without a search warrant and arrested members of his family.
Alimi claimed the operation was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations while Igbalaiye was attending an Independent National Electoral Commission stakeholders’ meeting.
He further alleged that the police had raided the homes of several commissioners and other senior government officials in recent days.
According to him, the residence of the Commissioner for Energy in Ikire was searched on Tuesday, while five other commissioners reported that their homes had been placed under surveillance.
The commissioner also alleged that several members of the Accord Party were being detained at the Criminal Investigation Department without being granted bail.
Describing the raids as politically motivated, Alimi accused the police of acting in the interest of the opposition.
“These raids on the SSG and our commissioners are an aggravated assault on the government and people of Osun State,” he said.
“This campaign of repression constitutes grave danger to democracy.”
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He urged the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, President Bola Tinubu and other stakeholders to intervene, warning that the actions of the police could undermine the conduct of a free and fair governorship election in the state.
The police have yet to respond to the allegations of conducting the operation without a search warrant.
