The Osun State Police Command has arrested a serving member of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Abiola Ibrahim Inaolaji, along with 179 suspected electoral mercenaries during coordinated security operations ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
Inaolaji, who represents the Irewole/Isokan State Constituency, was apprehended at his residence in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, during a joint operation conducted in the early hours of Saturday.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the operation was carried out by the Force Intelligence Bureau–Intelligence Response Team (FIB-IRT) as part of efforts to prevent electoral malpractice and ensure a peaceful governorship poll.
According to the police, officers recovered more than 200 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from the lawmaker’s residence during the raid.
A video recorded shortly after the arrest allegedly showed Inaolaji identifying himself and stating that he facilitated the movement of 146 individuals into Osun State from neighbouring states to participate in the election.
However, the police said the claims contained in the video remain subject to ongoing investigation.
“He was arrested in Ikire with about 146 suspected mercenaries in the early hours of Saturday,” Ojelabi told journalists.
In a separate operation, operatives of the Anti-Robbery Section and the Violent Crime Response Unit arrested another 33 suspected electoral mercenaries at Babs Hotel, located behind the State High Court in Ede.
The suspects comprised 30 males and three females.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were brought into Osun from Ondo State for alleged unlawful electoral activities. Officers also recovered four voters’ cards during the operation.
Investigators quoted the suspects as saying that they were recruited by an unidentified politician who allegedly promised them financial rewards in exchange for participating in the election.
The command said investigations are continuing to identify those responsible for organising and sponsoring the alleged operation.
The arrests came as voters began casting their ballots across the 30 local government areas of the state under heavy security deployment following concerns about possible election-related violence.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Kayode Adereti, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election after voting at Ward 11, Unit 3, Ilare, in Ife Central Local Government Area.
Adereti described voter turnout as encouraging and commended security agencies as well as the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“The turnout is impressive and the security is perfect. The BVAS is working well, and everyone is happy here,” he said.
The APC candidate urged eligible voters who had yet to cast their ballots to do so peacefully, stressing that the future of Osun State depends on active participation in the democratic process.
He also appealed to political parties and their supporters to refrain from violence and allow voters to freely choose the next governor.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, was also expected to vote at Ward 4, Unit 13, as voting continued across the state.
The governorship election is being conducted amid heightened security, with stakeholders repeatedly calling on political actors and voters to maintain peace throughout the voting and collation process.
