The Osun State Police Command has released the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaiye, hours after he was arrested during a police operation at his residence in Osogbo.
The development was confirmed on Thursday by the spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, who announced the release in a post on his verified Facebook page.
Olajengbesi thanked the Inspector-General of Police and the Osun State Commissioner of Police for what he described as their willingness to heed public calls for Igbalaiye’s release.
He welcomed the SSG back, describing him as a committed public servant whose dedication to the people of Osun State would not be forgotten.
The spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, SP Abiodun Ojelabi, also confirmed Igbalaiye’s release in a telephone interview with journalists.
Igbalaiye was arrested on Wednesday alongside five other suspects after police operatives carried out a raid on his residence following intelligence reports that wanted criminal suspects were allegedly hiding at the location.
According to the police, one of those apprehended, Oladele Abiodun, was on the command’s watchlist in connection with alleged criminal activities.
Police said officers recovered ₦4.81 million in cash, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine and a printer during the operation.
Others arrested during the raid were identified as Akande Taiwo, 60; Adeyemo Lukman, 45; Olaoye Muftau, 50; and Aderemi Musliu, 40.
The command said the recovered items have been taken into custody for forensic examination as investigations continue.
Police added that the cash and voter register recovered from the residence have raised concerns over possible electoral offences, including alleged vote buying, criminal conspiracy and the harbouring of a wanted suspect.
The command maintained that the operation was intelligence-driven and conducted lawfully, stressing that additional charges may emerge depending on the outcome of ongoing investigations.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, alleged that Igbalaiye’s arrest was politically motivated.
Egbedun claimed the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, ordered the SSG’s arrest after an incident at an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ meeting where the police commissioner was reportedly booed by some participants and noticed Igbalaiye laughing.
He further alleged that the SSG was informed that police officers were waiting at his residence before the raid.
However, the Osun State Police Command dismissed the allegation, insisting that the operation was based solely on credible intelligence linking the suspects to alleged criminal activities and possible electoral offences.
