EDE, OSUN STATE — A police officer was injured on Monday following a suspected accidental discharge of a tear gas canister at the Ede North Local Government Secretariat in Oja Timi, Ede, Osun State.

The incident reportedly occurred between 10am and 11am as local government chairmen, councillors and other officials elected during the February 22, 2025 council elections attempted to resume duties at the secretariat following the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in Saturday’s governorship election.

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Tension reportedly escalated when supporters of the elected officials gathered at the council premises. According to eyewitnesses, a police officer deployed to maintain order accidentally discharged a tear gas canister, which struck another officer in the face, leaving him seriously injured and requiring hospital treatment.

A source said, “One of the policemen deployed to the scene accidentally released a canister, and it hit his colleague in the face. He was seriously injured. Gunshots were also fired by the police, but those who attempted to resume and their supporters stood their ground. No one was killed, but one police operative was injured in the face and hospitalised.”

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the injured officer was receiving treatment while the officer who discharged the tear gas had been detained for investigation.

Ojelabi explained, “When the mob gathered at the secretariat, he (the policeman) was said to have discharged tear gas. That was what led to him accidentally hitting another police officer. The police officer is being treated presently, and the officer that discharged the tear gas is being investigated.”

The development is linked to the continuing controversy over the control of local government secretariats in Osun State. PDP chairmen, councillors and other officials elected in the February 2025 local government elections reportedly resumed at several council secretariats following Adeleke’s re-election victory.

Apart from Ede North, PDP officials were reported to have resumed at Olorunda, Odo Otin and Iwo local government secretariats, among others. At the Olorunda Local Government Secretariat in Igbona, Osogbo, police personnel were deployed at the entrance while PDP council officials and their supporters held a victory celebration within the premises.

The police, however, warned political actors and their supporters against attempting to forcibly take over local government secretariats, stressing that the matter remains before the courts.

Ojelabi said, “The local government matter is in court, and the court has not delivered a clear judgment on that case. So, they should follow it lawfully instead of taking the law into their own hands.”

The police spokesman said calm had returned to the affected areas and urged residents to remain peaceful and go about their lawful activities.

“Presently, as I am talking to you, everywhere is peaceful. We urge the people to go about their lawful business,” he added.

The incident adds a fresh layer of tension to the long-running Osun local government dispute, with security agencies urging political parties and their supporters to avoid actions capable of triggering violence while the legal process continues.