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Osun SSG Teslim Igbalaye, Five Others Held in Vote-Buying Probe

July 30, 2026 By BeatzHive Editorial 2 min read

Osun SSG Teslim Igbalaye, Five Others Arrested as Police Recover N4.8m, PVCs in Vote-Buying Probe

The Osun State Police Command has taken the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, into custody along with five other suspects following a raid on a residence in Oroki Estate, Osogbo. Officers reportedly recovered N4,810,500 in cash, two Permanent Voter Cards and a voter register during the operation, which is tied to an alleged vote-buying investigation.

Raid in Search of Wanted Suspect “Ashipa” Turns Up Cash and Electoral Materials

According to a statement released by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Gotan, the operation was originally targeted at a wanted man, Abiodun Arowomole, better known as “Ashipa,” who is on the police watch list over alleged serious offences including murder. Acting on what was described as credible intelligence about criminal activity in the area, operatives moved in on the property.

Instead of their target, officers reportedly met the SSG on the premises alongside five other men, identified as Akande Taiwo, 60; Oladele Abiodun, 38; Adeyemo Lukman, 45; Olaoye Muftau, 50; and Aderemi Musliu, 40. A search of the building allegedly yielded the cash haul, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, a printer, two PVCs and a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15.

The police said all the recovered items have been secured for forensic examination as detectives work to establish where they came from and what they were meant for. CP Gotan pledged a thorough and professional inquiry, warning that anyone found culpable would face prosecution regardless of status, and appealed to residents to stay calm and let investigators do their job.

High-Profile Arrest Lands Amid Rising Pre-Election Tension in Osun

The Secretary to the State Government is one of the most senior offices in any Nigerian state administration, which makes the arrest of a sitting SSG an unusually high-profile development and explains the intense online attention the case has drawn, with many Nigerians reportedly tracking every update.

Allegations of vote-buying have long dominated public debate around Nigerian elections, and cases involving cash and electoral materials tend to face heavy scrutiny. With political tension said to be building ahead of forthcoming elections in Osun, authorities have confirmed that investigations remain ongoing and promised further updates as new facts emerge.

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