RismadarVoice Reporters, July 30, 2026
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Olumide Egbedun, has alleged that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ibrahim Gotan, personally ordered the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, during an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ meeting in Osogbo.
The allegation comes a day after the Osun State Police Command announced the arrest of several suspects, including the SSG, during an operation linked to an investigation into alleged vote-buying.
According to the police, the operation followed credible intelligence indicating that a criminal group was operating around the Oroki Estate area of Osogbo. Officers said they recovered millions of naira, electoral materials and other items believed to be connected to the investigation.
Reacting to the development, Egbedun described the arrest as an abuse of power, accusing the police commissioner of acting improperly.
In a statement posted on his X account, the Speaker said he, the Deputy Governor and the SSG attended the INEC stakeholders’ meeting together and remained seated throughout the proceedings.
According to him, an incident occurred during the meeting when members of the audience reportedly booed the police commissioner while he was addressing participants.
Egbedun alleged that after returning to his seat, the commissioner looked toward where he, the Deputy Governor and the SSG were seated before making a series of telephone calls.
He claimed he immediately told Igbalaye that he believed the commissioner had ordered his arrest.
The Speaker further alleged that a few minutes later, the SSG received a phone call informing him that police officers were waiting at his residence, prompting him to leave the meeting.
Egbedun said the SSG later informed him that he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) after police allegedly recovered N4 million and two voter cards belonging to members of his political party who had gathered within his residence.
The Speaker questioned the justification for inviting or attempting to arrest the SSG based on the allegation.
Egbedun also recounted what he described as his own encounter with the police commissioner, alleging that officers attached to his security detail were once directed to report to the commissioner’s office despite intelligence suggesting that his residence was under threat of attack.
According to him, he contacted the police commissioner to express his objection to the directive and insisted he would not be intimidated or leave the state because of security concerns.
The Speaker further alleged that some police officers had been making efforts to implicate and arrest him over the past two weeks, claiming he had received repeated warnings from associates to leave his residence for safety reasons.
Despite the alleged threats, Egbedun said he remained committed to staying in Osun State, expressing confidence that justice would prevail.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene, urging the police leadership to ensure that policing in Osun State remains professional, impartial and consistent with the rule of law.
The Osun State Police Command has maintained that the arrests were part of an ongoing investigation into alleged vote-buying and were based on intelligence gathered during its operation. As of the time of this report, the command had not responded specifically to the Speaker’s allegations against the Commissioner of Police.
