The police have arrested the Accord Party lawmaker representing Irewole/Isokan State Constituency in the Osun State House of Assembly, Abiola Ibrahim, alongside about 146 other individuals in Ikire.

The suspects were reportedly arrested in the early hours of Saturday, August 15, 2026, during the ongoing Osun State governorship election.

The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the arrests, saying the lawmaker was taken into custody by operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Intelligence Response Team, FBI-IRT.

According to the police spokesperson, Ibrahim was arrested for allegedly harbouring suspected mercenaries at a private residence in Ikire.

“He was arrested in Ikire for harbouring suspected mercenaries. He was arrested with about 146 people,” Ojelabi said.

A video circulating online earlier showed uniformed police officers confronting the lawmaker over the presence of a large number of people at the residence.

During the interrogation, Ibrahim reportedly told the officers that the individuals were registered voters who had gathered to participate in the governorship election.

He also denied hiring or mobilising the people, insisting that they were at the residence by their own choice.

“They are voters for the election happening today,” Ibrahim said in the video.

The lawmaker added that some of those present were indigenes from outside the area and maintained that he had neither hired them nor promised them anything.

“I did not hire them. I did not promise anything. Voting is their choice. I’m not their agent,” he stated.

The arrest comes as security agencies intensify surveillance and enforcement operations across Osun State to prevent electoral violence, vote buying, voter intimidation and other forms of electoral malpractice during the governorship election.

The identities and circumstances surrounding the arrest of the other 146 individuals were not immediately disclosed by the police.

The investigation is expected to determine whether the individuals were genuine voters or were allegedly mobilised for purposes connected to the election.