Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Osun State Police Command has released the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, following his detention over allegations linked to suspected electoral offences, bringing a dramatic end to a 24-hour crisis that had threatened to escalate political tensions ahead of the August 15 governorship election. Igbalaye's release was confirmed on Thursday, July 30, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, in a telephone interview with journalists in Osogbo.
The development was also announced by Pelumi Olajengbesi, spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, the group coordinating Governor Ademola Adeleke's re-election campaign. In a post on his verified Facebook page, Olajengbesi thanked the Inspector-General of Police and the Osun Commissioner of Police for what he described as responding to public calls for Igbalaye's release. "We sincerely appreciate the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, for listening to the voice of reason despite pressure and for responding to the people's demand regarding the unlawful arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Igbalaye Teslim," he wrote.
Igbalaye was arrested on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, alongside five others after police operatives raided his private residence in Osogbo. According to the police, the operation followed intelligence reports that suspected criminals were hiding at the location. The command said one of those arrested, Oladele Abiodun, was on its watchlist for alleged criminal offences. Police also said they recovered N4,810,500, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, and a printer during the operation. The command said the recovered items were being examined as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged electoral offences, including vote-buying, criminal conspiracy, and harbouring a wanted suspect.
The arrest of the SSG sparked immediate outrage from the Osun State Government, which condemned the raid as an "aggravated assault on the government and people of Osun State". In a statement issued shortly after the arrest, Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, accused operatives of the state police command of carrying out a "systematic invasion, attacks and bursting" of the residences of the SSG and six commissioners. Alimi condemned what he described as "gestapo operations" on the homes of government officials and warned that the raids constituted "a grave danger" to the country's democracy.
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, also weighed in, alleging that the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, ordered Igbalaye's arrest in retaliation for being booed at an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders' meeting. Egbedun claimed that he was seated with the Deputy Governor and the SSG during the meeting when the commissioner was booed by members of the public while addressing participants. "We all witnessed the unfortunate moment when Commissioner Gotan was booed while on the podium by citizens of Osun State. Immediately he returned to his seat, he looked directly towards us. At that moment, the SSG laughed," Egbedun stated. The Speaker alleged that the police commissioner immediately began making telephone calls after returning to his seat, and shortly thereafter, Igbalaye received a call informing him that police officers had surrounded his residence.
However, the police have rejected allegations of political motivation, insisting that the raid was intelligence-driven and based solely on suspected criminal activities and possible electoral offences. The police maintained that investigations are continuing to determine the circumstances surrounding the recovered exhibits and other allegations.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, who did not directly address the detention in his initial statement, maintained that no amount of intimidation or harassment would make the people of Osun State succumb to fear ahead of the election. "Throughout the history of Osun State, our people have never bowed to intimidation. We are resilient, determined, and fiercely protective of our rights," he wrote on Thursday morning. "As we approach the August 15 governorship election, I have absolute confidence that no amount of external interference or intimidation can override the collective will of the people of Osun State".
Igbalaye's release came hours after the Speaker's allegations, but the police have made it clear that investigations into the recovered items and other allegations will continue. The arrest and subsequent release of the SSG have deepened the political storm surrounding the Osun governorship election, with the ruling Accord Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress trading accusations of intimidation and electoral malpractice. With the election just over two weeks away, the controversy has further heightened tensions in a state where the political atmosphere has become increasingly charged.
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