The Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, and five others have been arrested and detained by the state Police Command following a raid on his residence in Osogbo on Wednesday.

The police said one of those arrested at the SSG’s residence was Oladele Abiodun, a suspect on its watchlist in connection with alleged criminal offences.

This was disclosed by the Osun State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, in a statement obtained in Osogbo.

Ojelabi also said a total of N4,810,500, two Permanent Voter Cards, a voter register, a Dynabook laptop, one photocopier and one printer were recovered from Igbalaye’s residence.

Others arrested alongside Igbalaye were identified as Akande Taiwo, 60; Adeyemo Lukman, 45; Olaoye Muftau, 50; and Aderemi Musliu, 40.

The PPRO said a police team, acting on intelligence that members of a criminal gang were hiding at a location in Osogbo, carried out a lawful raid and apprehended the suspects.

“The operation also led to the arrest of the following suspects: Hon Igbalaye Teslim ‘m’ 47years, One Akande Taiwo ‘m’ 60years, Oladele Abiodun ‘m’ 38years, Adeyemo Lukman ‘m’ 45years, Olaoye Muftau ‘m’ 50years, Aderemi Musliu ‘m’ 40years.

“During the operation, officers recovered exhibits comprising cash sum of four million eight hundred and ten thousand, five hundred naira (N4,810,500), one Dynabook laptop, one photocopy machine, one printer, two Voter’s Cards and a voter register for Wards 1-15.

“These exhibits have been secured and are currently in police custody for detailed forensic examination and further investigation.

“The recovery of the cash and the register containing voters’ details raises serious concerns regarding possible electoral offences and other criminal activities.

“While investigations are still ongoing, the facts presently available disclose reasonable grounds to investigate the commission of offences, which may include:

“Bribery of voters (vote-buying), contrary to Section 121 of the Electoral Act, 2022, arising from the alleged distribution of money or other inducements to registered voters for the purpose of influencing their voting decisions.

“Criminal conspiracy, where two or more persons are found to have agreed to commit an unlawful act.

“Harbouring or concealing a wanted criminal, where any individual is found to have knowingly sheltered or assisted a fugitive from justice.

“Any other offences that may be disclosed upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigation,” the statement read in part.

The command emphasised that the allegations against the suspects have far-reaching implications for public security, the administration of justice and the credibility of the democratic process.

“Accordingly, investigations are being intensified to identify all persons connected with the recovered exhibits, establish the source and intended use of the recovered funds, and determine the full extent of any criminal enterprise,” the statement added.

The Osun Command said no individual, irrespective of social status, political affiliation or public office, is above the law, adding that anyone found culpable at the conclusion of investigations would be prosecuted in accordance with the Constitution.

It urged members of the public to remain calm, law-abiding and continue providing credible information to assist the police in preventing crime and ensuring peaceful, free, fair and credible electoral processes.

The Osun State Government, on Wednesday accused the state police command of invading the residence of the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, without a search warrant.

The allegation was contained in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi.

He also claimed that those the police met on the premises were arrested.

Alimi further alleged that the SSG’s residence was burst into by a combined team of police officers led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations.

A Shari’ah court judge, Mohammed Muktar, narrowly escaped death or possible abduction on Wednesday after suspected bandits invaded a courtroom in Gwarjo village, Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The attack occurred around midday on Wednesday, when the armed men reportedly stormed the court premises, fired sporadically and demanded to know the whereabouts of the judge.

Residents told Daily Trust that Mohammed Muktar spotted the approaching gunmen from a distance and quickly escaped through a window moments before they reached the courtroom.

“The bandits entered the courtroom, shooting indiscriminately and repeatedly asking where the judge was. Fortunately, he had already escaped through the window, and a commercial motorcyclist helped him flee before they arrived,” a resident said.

Another eyewitness said the attackers became enraged after discovering that the judge had escaped and threatened to kill him if he ever returned to preside over court proceedings in the community.

The latest incident has heightened fears among residents of Gwarjo, a community that has repeatedly suffered attacks by bandits.

Police spokesperson in Katsina, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, could not be reached for comment as calls and text messages sent to him were not responded to. (Daily Trust)

The United States has announced that routine visa services at its embassy in Abuja and 24 other diplomatic missions across Africa will cease from August 1, 2026, as part of a regional restructuring of its visa operations.

The US Department of State disclosed this in a statement, saying the realignment was aimed at strengthening national security, reducing government spending and ensuring more consistent screening, vetting and adjudication standards.

According to the department, the move forms part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to align overseas operations with US national interests.

“The Department of State is constantly evaluating its overseas operations in order to advance America’s priorities as efficiently and effectively as possible. This includes a visa process that maintains rigorous standards of security screening and vetting and aligns resources and operational capacity with America’s national interests.

“The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans, and the State Department will continue to provide Americans with appropriate consular services and assistance at diplomatic posts around the world,” the statement read.

The diplomatic posts affected by the change include Abuja, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou and Windhoek.

The State Department stressed that the realignment would not affect the operating status of the embassies and consulates or alter the consular services they continue to provide on behalf of the United States.

It also clarified that the policy would not affect visas that are already valid.

According to the department, the immigrant visa categories affected by the restructuring include immediate relative visas, family preference visas, employment-based visas, fiancée and fiancé visas, adoption cases, diversity visas, and follow-to-join asylee and refugee (V92/V93) cases.

It added that similar regional hub arrangements had already been implemented successfully in several African countries and parts of Europe.

The department, however, said routine visa services would continue at US embassies and consulates in Lagos, Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dakar, Dar-es-Salaam, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé, Luanda, Malabo, Monrovia, Nairobi, Port Louis, Praia and Yaoundé.

These designated hubs will continue to process all routine non-immigrant visas, including tourist, business and petition-based visas, as well as immigrant visas.

The State Department also stated that visa suspensions imposed under Presidential Proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and immigrant visa pauses for certain nationalities would remain in effect.

It advised citizens and residents of the affected countries seeking US visas from August 1, 2026, to book appointments and pay the required visa fees at the designated non-immigrant or immigrant visa processing hubs.

The new arrangement is expected to affect thousands of Nigerian applicants who currently process visas at the US Embassy in Abuja, requiring many to complete their applications in Lagos or other designated regional centres.

Nigeria records one of the highest volumes of US visa applications in Africa, with the US Embassy in Abuja and the US Consulate in Lagos serving as the country’s two principal visa processing centres.