OSOGBO, Nigeria β€” Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has welcomed the federal intervention into the state's security situation but insisted that a simple directive to halt hostilities is not enough. The governor demanded the immediate arrest and rigorous prosecution of the political thugs responsible for recent fatal shootings across the state, declaring that peace cannot be sustained without accountability. The governor's firm stance followed an emergency meeting at the Government House in Osogbo with Deputy Inspector General of Police Adegoke Fayoade, who was dispatched to the state by Inspector General Tunji Disu to handle a worrisome surge in pre-election violence ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election. While DIG Fayoade assured the administration that the police high command has ordered an absolute end to the brigandage, Governor Adeleke countered that state stability rests entirely on holding perpetrators legally responsible for their actions. A Tragic Trail of Electoral Intimidation The security situation in Osun has grown increasingly volatile over the past month, marked by targeted assaults and tragic casualties that have thrown several communities into mourning. The most prominent of these incidents occurred in the Ilobu community within the Irepodun Local Government Area, where a 14-year-old boy, Ezekiel Olapade, was shot dead. The teenager was fatally hit while attempting to help his mother out of a roadside ditch during a stampede triggered by suspected political thugs shooting indiscriminately from a branded campaign bus. In a separate targeted assault in Esa-Oke, an active political operative identified as Aderogba was ambushed and killed. The victim's wife detailed to state officials how armed men carrying out a lethal combination of gun and machete attacks executed her husband in the presence of his family, citing political motivations behind the attack. Addressing the state after visiting the bereaved families, Governor Adeleke strongly rebuked the sponsors of the violence. You cannot kill your way to the governorship, Adeleke stated. Elections are won through the confidence of the people and not through the barrel of a gun. The people of Osun State will not be cowed by brute force. Accusations of Institutional Bias and Foot-Dragging The escalating tension has sparked a bitter war of words between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, the Accord Party, and the opposition All Progressives Congress, with each camp trading heavy allegations regarding the creation of armed militia groups. The situation has put local law enforcement under intense scrutiny. The Imole Campaign Council alongside leaders of the Accord Party have openly criticized the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, accusing the local command of selective enforcement. The Accord Party went as far as boycotting a stakeholders' peace meeting summoned by the police command in Osogbo, citing a complete lack of confidence in local police leadership after multiple reported ambushes on their members failed to yield a single arrest or meaningful investigation. Police Pledge Total Neutrality and Secure Ballots Attempting to restore public trust and calm the political temperature, DIG Fayoade assured the governor and the general public that the police force would maintain absolute institutional neutrality throughout the electoral cycle. The Inspector General of Police has explicitly directed the AIG Zone 11 and the state commissioner to take absolute charge and dismantle these violent networks, Fayoade stated. Anyone found culpable, regardless of their political affiliation or status, will be arrested and face prosecution. The police high command pointed to recent successfully managed, peaceful governorship elections in neighbouring South-West states as the standard framework, promising that robust security architectures would be deployed to guarantee that Osun residents can safely exercise their voting rights without fear or hindrance on August 15.