The Secretary to the Osun State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, and five others have been arrested and detained by the Osun State Police Command following a raid on his residence in Osogbo.
The police said one of those arrested at the residence was Oladele Abiodun, a suspect on its watchlist over alleged criminal offences.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to the police, officers acting on intelligence that members of a criminal gang were hiding at a location in Osogbo carried out a lawful raid, leading to the arrest of six suspects.
Those arrested were identified as Igbalaye, 47; Akande Taiwo, 60; Oladele Abiodun, 38; Adeyemo Lukman, 45; Olaoye Muftau, 50; and Aderemi Musliu, 40.
The police said the operation also led to the recovery of ₦4,810,500 in cash, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopier and a printer.
According to Ojelabi, the recovered items have been taken into police custody for forensic examination and further investigation.
He said the recovery of the cash and voter register had raised concerns about possible electoral offences and other criminal activities.
The police said the suspects were being investigated for alleged offences, including vote-buying under Section 121 of the Electoral Act 2022, criminal conspiracy, harbouring a wanted suspect and any other offences that may be uncovered during the investigation.
“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.
The command added that investigations were being intensified to identify all persons connected with the recovered exhibits, determine the source and intended use of the cash, and establish the full extent of any criminal enterprise.
It stressed that no individual, regardless of status, political affiliation or public office, is above the law, adding that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government condemned the operation, accusing the police of invading the SSG’s residence without a search warrant.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi.
Alimi alleged that a combined team of police officers, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, stormed the residence and arrested everyone they found on the premises.
He described the operation as unlawful, insisting that the officers neither produced nor presented a valid search warrant before carrying out the raid.
