Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence of Alalade Bukola Félix, popularly known as Machiavelli, a Special Assistant on Media to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, in the early hours of Monday, August 10, 2026, and arrested him after breaking down the door of his home. The incident occurred around 1 a.m. when the police officers stormed Alalade's residence in what his family and political associates have described as a politically motivated abduction, coming just five days before the state's high-stakes governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15.
According to a voice note and accounts provided to SaharaReporters by Alalade's wife, Folakemi, the couple was asleep when she noticed traces of light through the window around 1 a.m. and attempted to wake her husband. After Alalade woke up, people outside began shouting his name and ordering him to come outside. The couple initially refused to open the door because they did not know who was outside. "So when he woke up, they were shouting his name that he should come out, but we refused to open the door for them. So they tried until they burst in by themselves. They broke through the door by themselves," Folakemi recounted.
In the voice recording, Alalade could be heard pleading with the officers and asking who they were, while also telling them that he would come out voluntarily. The recording subsequently captured sounds suggesting that the officers were breaking down the door of the residence before gaining entry. Folakemi's voice could also be heard pleading with the officers not to arrest her husband, while the officers reportedly shouted at her and warned her not to intervene. When asked who the people were, Folakemi said the men identified themselves as policemen but did not disclose the particular police formation or command they belonged to. "They said they were policemen, because we asked them, 'Who are you?' They said they were policemen. They didn't even say from where. They were just banging the door that we should open, that they are policemen, they are policemen," she said.
Folakemi said she was later informed that her husband had been taken to Osogbo. "I just heard from him. I was told he was taken to State CID, Osogbo. That is the latest information I got," she said. When asked whether the police told them why Alalade was being arrested or disclosed any offence he was alleged to have committed, she said they were given no explanation. The arrest of the governor's media aide comes amid claims of heightened political tension in Osun State ahead of Saturday's governorship election and allegations of a clampdown on Accord Party political figures and supporters in the state. Folakemi, who said her family had been thrown into distress following the incident, appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the state police commissioner to intervene and secure her husband's release.
The arrest has been condemned by Governor Adeleke's Imole Campaign Council, which has accused the police of a broader crackdown on opposition supporters. The campaign organisation had earlier alleged that a sitting commissioner, Mayowa Adejoorin, was stripped naked by police during his detention, an allegation the police have denied. Force spokesperson Ani Iniedu defended the police position, stating that arrests must be based on complaints or petitions and that it is not an offence to belong to a political party. "The IG cannot give anybody directives to arrest anybody because they belong to a political party," Iniedu said.
The incident has escalated already high tensions in Osun State, where the governorship election is just days away. With Governor Adeleke of the Accord Party seeking re-election against strong opposition from the All Progressives Congress and the African Democratic Congress, the police have deployed over 15,000 personnel to the state. But critics argue that the pre-dawn raid on a governor's media aide, without any explanation of charges, suggests a pattern of intimidation rather than law enforcement. As of the time of this report, there was no official statement from the police explaining the reason for Alalade's arrest. The family remains in distress, and political observers are watching closely to see whether the police will provide any justification for an operation that has all the hallmarks of a political crackdown in the final days of a bitterly contested election.
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