July 30, 2026
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, has alleged that the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Gotan, ordered the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, shortly after an incident at an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ meeting.
According to Egbedun, the commissioner was booed while addressing participants at the meeting. He claimed that after returning to his seat, the SSG laughed, following which the police commissioner allegedly made a series of telephone calls that led to the SSG being targeted for arrest.
The Speaker said Igbalaye later received a call informing him that police officers were waiting at his residence, prompting him to leave the meeting before it concluded. He described the development as an abuse of police powers and called on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately redeploy the commissioner from Osun State.
The allegations come a day after the Nigeria Police arrested the SSG and five others during an operation at a residence linked to him in Osogbo over an alleged vote-buying investigation. Police said the operation was based on credible intelligence and resulted in the recovery of ₦4.81 million, a laptop, a photocopy machine, a printer, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and a voter register covering Wards 1–15. The recovered items are undergoing forensic examination as investigations continue.
Egbedun further alleged that the commissioner has repeatedly used the police to intimidate government officials and political opponents, claiming he also attempted to withdraw police officers attached to him despite security concerns surrounding his residence.
The Speaker maintained that the people of Osun State deserve professional, impartial, and law-abiding policing, urging the Inspector-General of Police to intervene.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police have maintained that the arrest of the SSG was carried out in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged electoral offences and was based on credible intelligence.
