Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has alleged that more than 60 members of the Accord Party arrested in the state were transferred to correctional facilities in Abuja and Nasarawa State despite the existence of competent courts in Osun.

The governor made the allegation on Thursday during a peace summit in Osogbo ahead of the August 15 governorship election, where he accused the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, of sponsoring political violence and intimidation against his administration and supporters.

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Speaking at the summit, Adeleke claimed his government had endured sustained attacks over the past three months, alleging that the Osun State Police Command had aided the harassment of his supporters. He questioned the decision to transfer the detained politicians outside the state, insisting that any suspects should be prosecuted before courts in Osun if evidence existed against them. The governor also condemned the arrest of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, describing the allegations against him as politically motivated and claiming police operatives searched his residence without a court-authorised warrant. Adeleke further alleged that eight members of his party had been killed and more than 20 others injured in recent attacks, calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene by cautioning those he accused of escalating political tension ahead of the election.

The allegations followed the arrest of Igbalaye and five others by the Osun State Police Command during a raid on a residence linked to the SSG over alleged vote-buying and other suspected electoral offences. According to the police, operatives recovered ₦4.8 million in cash, a voter register, Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a laptop, a photocopy machine and a printer during the operation, adding that investigations were ongoing. As of the time of filing this report, the police had not publicly responded to Adeleke’s allegations regarding the transfer of detained Accord Party members to correctional facilities outside Osun State.