Osun Poll: Police dispute Speaker’s siege claim, nab 300 at politician’s residence

The Nigeria Police Force has said it could not independently confirm the allegation by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, that armed men laid siege to his residence in the early hours of Saturday as voting commenced in the state governorship election.

Egbedun reportedly raised the alarm at about 6:00am, claiming that armed men had surrounded his residence, sparking concerns over the security situation ahead of voting across the state.

However, Force Headquarters spokesperson, Anietie Iniedu, said the police responded immediately to the report but found no evidence to confirm that the alleged siege had occurred.

Iniedu said the police complaint unit was mobilised while the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area was directed to proceed to the Speaker’s residence and verify the situation.

“We’ve gotten that complaint and mobilised the police complaint unit, and the DPO of that division was directed to proceed to that location, and we could not confirm that allegation at the residence of the speaker. So far, we cannot confirm that,” he said.

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The police position leaves the allegation unresolved. While the Force has not established that armed men laid siege to Egbedun’s residence, its inability to confirm the report does not necessarily mean that no incident occurred.

The development has attracted particular attention because Egbedun is a prominent political figure and the allegation emerged just hours before voters began casting their ballots.

While addressing the allegation involving the Speaker, Iniedu disclosed a separate major security operation at the residence of an unidentified political stakeholder in Osun State.

According to him, police operatives arrested about 300 people after discovering what he described as “300 unaccounted-for persons” at the residence.

“However, we’ve also made arrests at a political stakeholder’s residence, where we located 300 unaccounted-for persons,” Iniedu said.

The police have not disclosed the identity of the political stakeholder, the identities of those arrested or the circumstances that led to their presence at the residence.

It also remains unclear whether the individuals were linked to any political party, electoral activity or alleged attempt to influence the election.

The Force is expected to provide further information as investigations, profiling and questioning of the suspects continue.

Separate Arrest of Lawmaker Reported

The security situation was further complicated by a separate report attributed to the News Agency of Nigeria that the Osun State Police Command arrested a serving member of the state House of Assembly, Abiola Ibrahim Inaolaji, at his residence in Ikire.

Suspected electoral mercenaries were also reportedly arrested during the operation, while more than 200 Permanent Voter Cards were said to have been recovered.

However, there is no immediate confirmation that the operation involving Inaolaji was connected to the 300 arrests disclosed by Force Headquarters.

The two incidents should therefore not be treated as the same operation until the police establish a link.

Police Declare Osun Calm

Despite the reports of security incidents, the Force maintained that the overall security situation across Osun State remained peaceful.

Iniedu urged residents not to be discouraged by reports of isolated incidents and encouraged eligible voters to participate in the election.

“So far, Osun is peaceful, and we encourage residents to come out en masse to exercise their franchise,” he said.

The election is taking place across the state’s 30 local government areas, with security personnel deployed to polling units, collation centres, INEC facilities and other strategic locations.

The deployment is aimed at preventing violence, intimidation and electoral malpractice while ensuring that voters can exercise their franchise without obstruction.

Security Agencies Under Scrutiny

The latest developments are expected to intensify scrutiny of security agencies throughout the election, particularly amid competing claims of intimidation, arrests and alleged interference in politically sensitive areas.

The police have maintained that their presence across the state is intended to protect voters and safeguard the electoral process.

On Friday, the Osun State Commissioner of Police on Election, Samuel Erale Etaifo, warned politicians, candidates and other electoral stakeholders against attempts to manipulate the poll.

He said anyone found violating electoral laws would be arrested and prosecuted.

The police have also appealed to residents to report suspicious movements and activities to security agencies.