The Osun State APC Governorship Campaign Council has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of shielding high-profile criminals, including a murder suspect found at the Secretary to the State Government’s residence, to secure electoral advantages.
At a press conference held on Thursday, July 30, 2026, APC claimed that Abiodun Oladele Arowomole popularly known as “Abbey Ashipa” was traced to and arrested at the residence of the Secretary to the Osun State Government SSG, Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye, by law enforcement agents.
The Media Head for the APC Campaign Council, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, stated that Governor Adeleke was working frantically to secure the release of Arowomole.
According to him, the suspect had been evading the Nigerian Police for nearly four years and has been allegedly linked to the murders of at least 20 people, many of whom were APC members.
The Campaign Council listed some of the victims allegedly killed by the suspect as Sheriff Oyewale, Muraina Olayiwola “Montanna”, and Kazeem Oyebamiji “Mosquito”.
It also accused the suspect of participating in a June 2024 church attack in Egbatedo alongside other notable thugs, an operation that resulted in the death of a bystander and the recovery of eight pump-action shotguns by the police.
Omowaiye said, “Osun APC Campaign Council wants the whole world to know that shielding a wanted suspect constitutes a direct assault on the rule of law and Nigeria’s criminal justice system and we demand the immediate dismissal of Igbalaye, for harboring a fugitive.
“A governor who is genuinely popular would not need the services of terrors such as Emir Ajagungbade, Nurudeen Alawonle, Abbey Ashipa, Solo Iwara, or other questionable characters to secure electoral victory.
“Governor Adeleke should rise above political pettiness, lower his desperation for second term and fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies and allow the investigative process to run its course.”
Also, the Director-General of Osun Central Campaign Council, Prince Adebayo Adeleke, stated that the arrest confirmed long-standing suspicions that the state government was harbouring criminals in official residences.
He cautioned the public against alleged blackmail tactics by the ruling government aimed at discrediting the police ahead of the upcoming election.
Adeleke stressed: “I want Nigerians to help ask why several hardened criminals on trial had recently been released; we should question the Governor, Chief Judge, and State Attorney General to reveal the parameters used for release of the criminals.
“Why would a governor choose some weeks to the August 15 election date to release criminals who were still standing trials? Is the governor telling us that there are no convicts who had stood trial that is worthy of release?
“Before granting a prerogative of mercy pardon, a Governor should evaluate a combination of legal, behavioral, and humanitarian factors to balance compassion with public safety.”
A former Commissioner for Information, who is also the Co-Chairman of the Media Campaign Council, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, expressed deep concern over the state’s security climate, describing the situation where a sitting governor defended a known fugitive as absolutely embarrassing.
She said the growing violence in Osun politics was a scare tactic designed to suppress voter turnout ahead of the August 15 election.
The APC concluded by commending the professionalism of the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Police and the Inspector General of Police Special Squad, demanding that all criminal elements across all political parties be prosecuted without exception.
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