Osun SSG Teslim Igbalaye Arrested in Police Raid Over Vote‑Buying
The Osun State Police Command carried out a raid on the residence of Secretary to the State Government Teslim Igbalaye in the Oroki Estate area of Osogbo. The operation, said to be based on credible intelligence about a criminal gang, resulted in the arrest of Igbalaye and five others – Akande Taiwo, Oladeun Abiodun, Adeyemo Lukman, Olaoye Muftau and Aderemi Musliu – and the recovery of ₦4,810,500 in cash, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, a printer, two Permanent Voter Cards and a voter register covering wards 1‑15.
Police identified a wanted suspect, Abiodun Arowomole (known as “Ashipa”), on its watch‑list for alleged murder and other offences. The seized items raised concerns of possible electoral offences, including vote‑buying under Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022, as well as criminal conspiracy and harbouring a wanted criminal. Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan warned that the allegations could affect public security, the justice system and the credibility of the upcoming August 15 governorship election.
The Osun State Government accused the police of conducting the raid without valid search warrants and called the operation politically motivated, urging the Inspector‑General of Police, the National Security Adviser and the President to intervene. Tensions are rising ahead of the state election, with both sides claiming the raid threatens democratic processes.
Entities: Abiodun Arowomole (Ashipa) · Abiodun Ojelabi · Ibrahim Gotan · Oluomo Kolapo Alimi · Osun State Government · Osun State Police Command · Teslim Igbalaye
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 10 SOURCES] Police recovered ₦4,810,500 in cash, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, a printer, two Permanent Voter Cards, and a voter register covering wards 1‑15. (recovered_items)
- [● 10 SOURCES] Teslim Igbalaye, Secretary to the Osun State Government, was arrested by the Osun State Police Command during the raid. (arrest)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Osun State Government alleged the police raid was carried out without valid search warrants and constituted an assault on democracy. (government_claim)
- [● 10 SOURCES] The raid was conducted based on credible intelligence about a criminal gang operating around the Oroki Estate area of Osogbo. (police_intelligence)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Abiodun Arowomole, known as “Ashipa”, was identified as a wanted suspect on the police watch‑list for alleged murder and other crimes. (wanted_suspect)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Gotan described the allegations as serious and warned they could affect public security, the justice system and the credibility of the democratic process. (official_warning)
- [● 10 SOURCES] Police said the recovered items raise concerns of possible electoral offences, including vote‑buying under Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022. (electoral_concerns)
- [● 10 SOURCES] Six persons were detained: Teslim Igbalaye, Akande Taiwo, Oladeun Abiodun, Adeyemo Lukman, Olaoye Muftau and Aderemi Musliu. (detention_list)