Police Arrest 295 in Osun Election, Move to Prosecute Two

• The Nigeria Police Force arrested 295 suspects during the Osun State governorship election as part of a statewide operation to curb electoral violence, vote-buying and other election-related offences.

• Police said 293 suspects were released on bail after screening, while two remain in custody and will face further investigation and possible prosecution over alleged electoral offences.

• The arrests followed repeated warnings by security agencies that anyone caught disrupting the electoral process or violating electoral laws would be apprehended and prosecuted.

• While the police recorded multiple arrests, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it made no arrests, attributing the peaceful conduct of the poll to its extensive security deployment across the state.

August 17, () — The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the arrest of 295 suspects in connection with various incidents recorded during Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, with two of the suspects set to face prosecution after the conclusion of preliminary investigations.

The police disclosed that 293 suspects were granted bail after undergoing screening, while two others remain in custody for further investigation over offences allegedly committed during the election.

The arrests formed part of an extensive security operation mounted across Osun State to prevent electoral violence, vote-buying, voter intimidation, ballot snatching and other acts capable of undermining the credibility of the governorship poll.

Speaking in an interview, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu , said the suspects still in detention would be prosecuted if investigations established their culpability.

“A total of 295 suspects were arrested during the election, and 293 have been released on bail after screening. We have two suspects still in custody for prosecution,” he said.

According to the police, security operatives acted on intelligence and reports received from various locations across the state, leading to the arrest of individuals suspected of violating electoral laws.

The Force noted that the operation was part of broader measures introduced to guarantee a peaceful, transparent and credible governorship election.

Prior to the poll, the police had warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against engaging in acts of violence, vote-buying, destruction of electoral materials or any conduct capable of disrupting the electoral process, insisting that offenders would face the full weight of the law.

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No Arrests – NSCDC

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it recorded no arrests during the election.

The Corps’ spokesperson, Afolabi Babawale, attributed the peaceful conduct of the exercise to the elaborate security architecture deployed across all 30 local government areas of the state.

According to him, the NSCDC deployed a combination of armed and unarmed personnel to provide security at polling units, safeguard electoral materials and respond swiftly to any security threats.

Babawale disclosed that three fully armed patrol teams equipped with Hilux operational vehicles were stationed in each local government area to serve as rapid-response units capable of tackling any major security breach.

He added that three unarmed personnel were stationed at every polling unit to maintain order and monitor proceedings, while two armed officers were positioned approximately 500 metres away from each polling centre to provide reinforcement whenever necessary.

The deployment effectively ensured that five NSCDC personnel were assigned to every polling unit throughout the election, creating a multi-layered security framework that helped deter criminal activities.

The Osun governorship election was one of Nigeria’s most closely monitored off-cycle polls, attracting heavy deployment of personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces and other security agencies.

The election was eventually won by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, who secured a second term after defeating his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following the collation of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Although security agencies acknowledged isolated incidents during the exercise, they maintained that the coordinated deployment of personnel across the state helped ensure that the election was conducted peacefully, with offenders swiftly identified and apprehended.