Claim
A report published by Ekiti News 247 on August 15, 2026, claims that 100 thugs from Ekiti and Ondo states were plotting to disrupt the Osun State governorship election and had been taken into police custody.
The headline reads:
“100 thugs from Ekiti, Ondo plotting to disrupt Osun poll in custody – Police”
Full text
The report alleges that about 100 people from neighbouring Ekiti and Ondo states were brought into Osun State to disrupt the August 15, 2026 governorship election and that they were in police custody.
The report attributes the information to the Commissioner of Police in charge of election security in Osun State.
Why We Checked
The claim is significant because allegations of organised movement of political thugs into an election state can heighten tension and influence public perception of the credibility and security of the electoral process.
We checked the claim to determine whether the reported arrest of about 100 people was officially attributed to the police and whether describing them as “thugs” and stating that they were plotting to disrupt the election was an established fact or an allegation.
Verification
Our checks found that the underlying police claim is genuine because there was am official statement that back it up that the Commissioner of Police responsible for security for the Osun election reportedly said that about 100 suspected election disruptors were in police custody after allegedly coming from neighbouring Ekiti and Ondo states as claimed by the commissioner of police in an interview.
However, the description of the suspects as “100 thugs” should be treated with caution.
The available report attributes the allegation to the police; it does not establish through a court judgment that all the people arrested were thugs or that they were guilty of attempting to disrupt the election.
There is also an important distinction between saying that the suspects were allegedly in Osun to disrupt the election and saying that their intention to disrupt the election had been conclusively established.
Our review also found that the reported figure of approximately 100 people should not automatically be combined with other separate arrest figures reported in connection with the Osun election. For example, reports of another incident involving suspected electoral mercenaries represent a separate allegation and should not be added to the 100 without evidence that the cases were connected.
The broader security concern surrounding the Osun election is independently documented.
Election-security assessments have identified political violence and potential ballot disruption as concerns in Osun, while election-monitoring organisations have also highlighted misinformation and disinformation as risks to the electoral process.
Verdict – The claim is True but Misleading
The police said the arrests made were before the election and that a combination of all the arrests summed up to about 100 persons in custody.
Also, the police said no arrest of about 100 persons was made on the day of election.
Furthermore, describing or labelling the arrested persons as thugs, lacked substantial evidence.
