By Isa Isawade
Police on Saturday released shocking videos of a large number of non-residents of Osun who were allegedly imported by an Accord Party member to vote in the ongoing gubernatorial election in the state.
The voters carrying new Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, were camped at Babs Hotel in Ede, the hometown of Governor Ademola Adeleke, ahead of the election.
In a video clip going viral on social media, the alleged imported voters were seeing being interrogated by security operatives.
They confessed that they were imported from other states such as Ekiti and Ondo to Osun to vote in the election for a pay.
The suspects comprised 30 males and three females and were apprehended by operatives of the Anti-Robbery Section and the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU).
According to the police, preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects were brought into Osun from neighbouring Ondo and Ekiti states for alleged unlawful electoral activities.
The suspects were arrested on Friday evening by security operatives in the state.
Some Permanent Voter Cards were reportedly recovered from the suspects and taken as exhibits.
The police said some of the suspects, during preliminary questioning, claimed that a politician had recruited them and promised to pay them in exchange for voting during the election.
The command said further investigation would be conducted to establish the identity of the alleged recruiter, determine the specific roles of those involved and uncover the full circumstances surrounding the movement of the suspects into the state.
In a related development, the Osun State Police Command has arrested an Accord party member and serving lawmaker, Abiola Ibrahim Inaolaji, alongside 146 suspected electoral mercenaries allegedly found at his residence in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of the state.
Inaolaji, who represents the Irewole/Isokan State Constituency, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday during a police operation carried out as part of heightened security measures for the ongoing Osun governorship election.
According to the police, no fewer than 200 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were recovered during the operation.
A video clip obtained following the arrest showed the lawmaker making a preliminary statement in which he identified himself and allegedly said he facilitated the movement of the 146 suspects from neighbouring states into Osun.
The suspects were allegedly brought into the state to participate in the governorship election.
Confirming the arrest, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said Inaolaji was apprehended in the early hours of Saturday.
Ojelabi said the operation was conducted by the FBI IRT as part of the command’s intensified efforts to prevent activities capable of compromising the credibility and peaceful conduct of the election.
