The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, has presented a different account of the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, contradicting the explanation provided by the state police command.
Egbedun accused the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, of ordering Igbalaye’s arrest as retaliation after the police chief was booed by residents at a public event. He described the alleged action as an abuse of power that should concern Nigerians.
In a statement personally signed on Thursday, the Speaker said he witnessed the incident that allegedly triggered the arrest during an Independent National Electoral Commission stakeholders’ meeting attended by himself, the Deputy Governor and the SSG.
According to him, the Commissioner was booed by some Osun residents while speaking at the event, after which he returned to his seat and looked towards where Egbedun, the Deputy Governor and Igbalaye were seated.
“At that moment, the SSG laughed,” the Speaker said, adding that he became concerned when he noticed Gotan pick up his phone and begin making several calls.
“From what I saw, I turned to the SSG and said, ‘The Commissioner of Police has just ordered your arrest,’” Egbedun stated.
He claimed his suspicion was confirmed shortly afterwards when Igbalaye received a call informing him that police officers were waiting at his residence.
The Speaker said the SSG immediately left the venue and later informed him that he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department over items allegedly recovered from his compound.
Igbalaye was reportedly told that the invitation followed the discovery of N4 million and two Permanent Voter Cards belonging to members of his political party who were said to have been holding a meeting at his residence.
Egbedun questioned whether such allegations were enough to justify inviting or attempting to arrest a senior government official.
The Osun State Police Command, however, gave a different account of the operation. The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said officers acted on intelligence that criminal elements were operating in Osogbo and recovered N4.81 million, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register and other items suspected to be connected with electoral offences.
Ojelabi said only six adult suspects were arrested, dismissing claims by the Adeleke campaign that several others were taken into custody.
He also said Gotan had rejected calls for his removal, noting that decisions regarding his posting were the responsibility of the Inspector-General of Police.
Egbedun further alleged that the incident was part of a wider pattern of intimidation, citing a previous experience involving his security personnel.
He claimed that after receiving intelligence about a possible attack on his residence, the Commissioner of Police ordered all officers attached to him to report to his office for questioning.
The Speaker said he confronted Gotan over the matter, insisting that he would not be intimidated or forced to leave Osun State.
Egbedun also alleged that he had received information suggesting that some police officers were planning to implicate and arrest him.
He said he had been advised by some people to leave the state for safety reasons but maintained that he would remain in Osun.
“If those behind these alleged plans decide to carry them out, I remain resolute in my belief that justice will ultimately prevail and that evil will never triumph over righteousness,” he said.
The Speaker appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene, urging him to address what he described as hardship and intimidation allegedly experienced by residents under Commissioner Gotan’s leadership.
He called for policing in Osun to be professional, impartial and guided by respect for the rule of law.
