The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, has alleged that the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, was ordered by the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, in retaliation for being booed during an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ meeting.
In a statement personally signed on Thursday, Egbedun disputed the police’s account of the incident, describing the arrest as an abuse of power and calling on the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene.
According to the Speaker, he attended the INEC stakeholders’ meeting alongside the Deputy Governor and the SSG, where members of the public booed the police commissioner while he addressed participants.
Egbedun claimed that shortly after the incident, Gotan made several phone calls, prompting him to warn Igbalaye that he had likely ordered his arrest.
“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 said.
He added that Igbalaye later received a phone call informing him that police officers were waiting at his residence, prompting him to leave the event.
According to Egbedun, the SSG later informed him that he had been invited to the State Criminal Investigation Department over cash and voter cards allegedly recovered from people holding a political meeting within his residence.
The Speaker questioned the basis for inviting or attempting to arrest such a senior government official over the allegations.
The Osun State Police Command, however, has maintained that the operation was intelligence-driven.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said officers acted on credible intelligence that suspected criminals were hiding in Osogbo, leading to the arrest of six suspects and the recovery of ₦4.81 million, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register and other items believed to be linked to alleged electoral offences.
Egbedun also accused the police commissioner of previously attempting to compromise his security by directing police officers attached to him to report to the commissioner’s office despite intelligence about an impending attack on his residence.
He further alleged that he had received information suggesting some police officers were plotting to implicate and arrest him, insisting he would not be intimidated or leave the state.
The Speaker appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to remove the commissioner, alleging that residents of Osun deserved professional, impartial and law-abiding policing.
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