Osun Assembly Speaker Alleges Police Commissioner Ordered SSG’s Arrest After INEC Meeting Incident
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale 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), Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, following an incident at an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ meeting.
Egbedun’s account contradicts the official explanation earlier given by the Osun State Police Command, which maintained that the SSG and five others were arrested after an intelligence-led operation at his residence uncovered cash, Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and a voter register.
In a personally signed statement issued on Thursday, the Speaker described the alleged abuse of power as disturbing, saying it should concern every patriotic Nigerian.
According to him, he attended the INEC stakeholders’ meeting alongside the Deputy Governor and the SSG, where the Commissioner of Police was allegedly booed by members of the public while addressing participants.
“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,” Egbedun alleged.
The Speaker said he became suspicious after observing the police commissioner make a series of telephone calls shortly after returning to his seat.
“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 stated.
Egbedun said his prediction came to pass minutes later when the SSG reportedly received a telephone call informing him that police officers were waiting at his residence.
According to the Speaker, Igbalaye immediately left the meeting and later informed him that he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over items allegedly recovered from his compound.
“He informed me that he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department because the police allegedly recovered about ₦4 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,” Egbedun said.
The police had earlier stated that officers, acting on credible intelligence, raided the SSG’s residence in Osogbo, where they recovered ₦4,810,500, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voter register, a laptop, a printer and a photocopy machine. The command said the items raised concerns over possible electoral offences and that investigations were ongoing.
The Speaker also alleged that the incident involving the SSG was part of a broader pattern of intimidation against public officials in the state.
He recalled a previous incident in which he claimed to have received intelligence about an alleged plan by political thugs to attack his residence, only for the Commissioner of Police to direct that all officers attached to him should report to police headquarters for questioning.
“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,” he said.
Egbedun further alleged that he had received intelligence suggesting that some police officers were plotting to implicate and arrest him.
“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,” he added.
The Speaker appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene, alleging that residents of Osun State had endured intimidation under the leadership of the state Commissioner of Police.
However, the Osun State Police Command has maintained that the arrest of the SSG and the other suspects followed an intelligence-driven operation and insisted that investigations would continue in accordance with the law.