BREAKING: Police Arrest Osun SSG, Five Others Over Alleged Possession of PVCs, ₦4.81m
BREAKING: Police Arrest Osun SSG, Five Others Over Alleged Possession of PVCs, ₦4.81m
The Osun State Police Command has arrested the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaye, and five other persons over the alleged possession of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), ₦4.81 million in cash, and other election-related materials.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Osogbo.
According to the statement, police operatives acted on actionable intelligence indicating that a criminal gang was operating around the Oroki Estate area of Osogbo.
During the operation, officers reportedly traced one of the suspects, Abiodun Arowomole, popularly known as “Ashipa,” to a residential property linked to the SSG. The police said Arowomole had been on the command’s watchlist over alleged involvement in serious criminal offences, including murder.
Items recovered during the operation include ₦4,810,500 in cash, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, a printer, two voter cards, and a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15.
The command said the recovery of the cash and voter register has raised suspicions of possible vote buying, an offence under Section 121 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Police added that investigations are ongoing into allegations of criminal conspiracy, harbouring a wanted suspect, and possible electoral offences. No formal charges have been announced at this time.
