Police Arrest Osun SSG Over Alleged Possession Of PVCs, N4.8m

…State govt reacts

The Osun State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, over alleged wrongful possession of Permanent Voter Cards and a voters’ register.

The Command, in a statement issued by its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that five others were arrested when police raided his apartment and recovered N4.81 million during the exercise.

But the state government, in a release by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, described the arrest of Igbalaye and others as an escalation of targeted violence against top government officials and Accord Party members in Osun State.

Alimi claimed that at the time the SSG’s house was invaded, his ward officials were holding a meeting within the compound while the SSG himself was attending the stakeholders’ forum organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Alimi called the attention of traditional rulers, the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the unfolding scenario.

However, police said they acted on credible and actionable intelligence that a criminal gang was hibernating around the Oroki Estate Area, Osogbo.

It added that operatives of the Command carried out a lawful operation within the environs based on information that one suspect, identified as Abiodun Arowomole, popularly known as “Ashipa,” who has been on the watch list in connection with crimes, was hiding in a residential property linked to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Osun State.

“During the operation, officers recovered exhibits comprising a cash sum of four million, eight hundred and ten thousand, five hundred naira (N4,810,500), one Dynabook laptop, one photocopy machine, one printer, two voter cards and a voter register for Wards 1-15. These exhibits have been secured and are currently in police custody for detailed forensic examination and further investigation,” the statement said.

“The operation also led to the arrest of the following suspects:

Hon. Igbalaye Teslim ‘m’ 47 years,

Akande Taiwo ‘m’ 60 years,

Oladele Abiodun ‘m’ 38 years,

Adeyemo Lukman ‘m’ 45 years,

Olaoye Muftau ‘m’ 50 years,

Aderemi Musliu ‘m’ 40 years.

The suspects were found within the premises during the operation and have since been taken into lawful custody.

“The recovery of the cash and the register containing voters’ details raises serious concerns regarding possible electoral offences and other criminal activities,” Ojelabi said.

END.