Over the past year, Osun State has witnessed a series of arrests and detentions linked to political activities, raising renewed concerns over civil rights, and the rule of law.

From aides to concerned citizens to opposition party members and media practitioners, security agencies have repeatedly detained individuals over actions and statements considered politically sensitive, reflecting a tense political climate that continues to shape governance and public discourse in the state.

The most recent case involved the prolonged detention of an aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke, Abiodun Adegoke, following a petition linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

Adegoke was reportedly arrested over an accusation of defamation arising from a post he (Adegoke) made on social media where he reported a stampede at the Ikire residence of the APC candidate on the 27th day of December, 2025 during a food distribution exercise at Oyebamiji’s residence, which he claimed led to deaths.

Governor Adeleke accused the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gothan, of ordering the illegal detention of his aide and repeatedly denying him bail. He consequently urged the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and compel the Osun State Police Command to respect Adegoke’s fundamental rights.

In a statement signed by the Governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Monday, January 12, 2026, Adeleke said Adegoke was detained for more than five days without being charged to court, describing the action as a violation of the Constitution.

However, the Osun State Police Command dismissed the allegation, insisting that Adegoke had been granted bail and that investigations into the petition against him had been concluded.

Earlier, the Concerned Citizens of Nigeria (CCN), a non-political civic organization, condemned the arrest of one of its members, Iyiola Monsuru, describing it as an attack on freedom of expression.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Abiodun Adegoke, the group said Monsuru was arrested after reporting an incident at the residence of the APC governorship candidate for the 2026 election, Bola Oyebamiji, in Ikire.

The arrest and detention of Iyiola Monsuru and the subsequent arrest and detention of Abiodun Adegoke were connected to claims of a stampede at the home of the APC governorship candidate.

Meanwhile, politics-related arrests and detentions in Osun did not just start in August 2025, as the Osun political space started experiencing similar happenings from the past. Recall that the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday, August 8, demanded probe of Kazeem Adefisoye, the Chief Security Officer of the State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and others following what it described as an illegal arrest and detention of one of its members in the state, Rasaq Gafar.

In the statement signed by the party’s spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the APC alleged that the Chief Security Officer to the Governor, Kazeem Adefisoye, alongside the Officer in Charge of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit of the Oyo State Police Command, abused their offices in the arrest of Gafar.

The party claimed that on Monday, August 4, 2025, Adefisoye and about eight masked police officers drawn from the Osun State Government House stormed a bank on Ring Road, Ibadan, where Gafar works, physically manhandled him, and forcefully arrested him without prior invitation.

Rasaq Gafar was arrested and detained on the grounds of cyberbullying against the person of the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke.

Similarly, Osun State also witnessed the arrest and arraignment of the Editor of Osun Spring newspaper, Adesola Isola, by the Nigeria Police Force in Osogbo.

Isola was arraigned before a Magistrate Court for allegedly publishing false and malicious information against the former Governor of the state and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, in the newspaper’s August 1–15, 2025 edition. The publication claimed that the Minister had entered into an agreement with the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to manipulate the forthcoming 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

At proceedings held on August 21, 2025, Isola pleaded not guilty before Magistrate A. O. Ayilara of Magistrate Court 1, Osogbo, and was granted bail in the sum of ₦500,000 with one surety in like sum.

Taken together, the pattern of arrests and detentions recorded in Osun State over the past year emphasizes the growing concerns about political sensitivity and the use of state institutions in resolving political disputes.

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Cyberbullying, fake news, and other related unlawful actions, being the commonest causes of the arrests, is also a growing concern in the State, ahead of the 2026 Governorship election.

As the 2026 election approaches, civil society groups, opposition parties, and observers continue to call for restraint, adherence to constitutional safeguards and respect for fundamental rights to ensure that political competition does not further erode democratic freedom in the state.

Concerned stakeholders have also continued to advocate against cyberbullying, fake news, and irresponsible use of social media, social ills that continue to put question marks on absolute freedom of expression.