The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, has directly contradicted official police accounts surrounding the arrest of Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, accusing the state Commissioner of Police of abusing his power over a personal grudge.
In a signed statement issued on Thursday, Egbedun claimed Police Commissioner Ibrahim Gotan ordered the raid on Igbalaye’s home in retaliation after being booed by the public during a recent electoral stakeholders’ meeting. The Speaker, who attended the event alongside the Deputy Governor and the SSG, said Gotan took offense when Igbalaye laughed following the incident.
“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,” Egbedun said.
Within minutes, Igbalaye received a call notifying him that police officers were waiting at his residence, forcing him to leave the event. Igbalaye was subsequently summoned to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) regarding cash totaling ₦4 million and two voter cards allegedly recovered from his compound during a political meeting. Egbedun dismissed the allegations, stating they did not justify targeting a public official of his standing.
The police command offered a starkly different narrative. Public Relations Officer Abiodun Ojelabi stated officers raided the site based on intelligence regarding criminal hideouts, recovering ₦4,810,500, voter cards, and electoral materials. Ojelabi confirmed six arrests and dismissed calls for Gotan’s removal, noting that posting decisions remain the sole prerogative of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu.
Egbedun insisted the incident reflects a broader pattern of intimidation by Gotan. He disclosed that the police chief previously recalled his security detail for questioning on the same day intelligence flagged an imminent attack on his residence.
“I immediately telephoned the Commissioner and told him that I am a proud son of Onikoyi, and that I neither fear nor bow to intimidation,” the Speaker stated.
Egbedun further revealed receiving intelligence over the past fortnight that officers under Gotan are actively attempting to frame and arrest him, adding that despite warnings to flee the state, he refuses to vacate his residence.
Calling the situation a grave embarrassment to the nation, Egbedun appealed directly to Inspector-General Disu to intervene and relieve the state of what he described as hardship and intimidation under Gotan’s leadership.