Police lock down parks, second corpse recovered as Osun transport faction leader laid to rest
Police lock down parks, second corpse recovered as Osun transport faction leader laid to rest
By Ndukaku Ihe
The slain factional leader of the Osun State Transport Management System (OSTMS), Oyeyemi Olalekan, popularly known as “Emir,” has been buried according to traditional rites at his residence in Osogbo.
The burial follows his assassination shortly after government representatives announced his appointment as the state chairman of the OSTMS.
Security has been reinforced at motor parks across the state, particularly in Osogbo, following fears of reprisal attacks by Olalekan’s supporters.
The Osun state police command also confirmed that a second corpse was recovered from the crime scene and deposited at the morgue.
Narrating the event, Gbadegesin, the Vice Chairman of the Osun National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said he accompanied union leaders to the home of the Commissioner for Transportation, Ephraim Oyedele, where Olalekan’s appointment was announced.
According to Gbadegesin, the commissioner appealed to union elders to support Olalekan and assured them that the new leader would cooperate with the executive body.
“We took photographs together after the announcement and were preparing to leave when Olalekan insisted that the elders eat before returning to Osogbo,.
“They were eating at a park in the Mayfair area of Ile-Ife when hoodlums stormed the venue, firing gunshots. People fled in panic, and we later learned that Emir was pursued and killed,” Gbadegesin said.
He alleged that the attackers were led by Nurudeen Alowonle, head of the recently dissolved transport executive.
Kareem Akeem, chairman of the Mayfair garage, corroborated the account. Akeem stated that after returning from the meeting in Modakeke, the delegation stopped at Mayfair park for a meal.
He claimed that upon stepping outside, he spotted a masked individual identified as Adeyemi Ojo (alias “Sibi,” chairman of the Sabo/Lagere mini-bus park), alongside Alowonle and two others known as “Sultan” and “Elesin,” who opened fire immediately.
Akeem added that the assailants were involved in a vehicle accident while fleeing the scene in Alowonle’s car.
However, in a circulating video clip, Alowonle strongly denied any involvement in the killing, maintaining that he remained in Osogbo throughout the day and was nowhere near the scene in Ile-Ife.
The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, confirmed that a formal investigation into the murder has commenced, warning rival factions against launching reprisal attacks.
Speaking on Monday, Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that the Commissioner held a strategic security meeting following the incident.
“It was resolved that Sibi should not be seen at any park in Ile-Ife. The governor has also directed that Mayfair park suspend operations for now, and police officers have been deployed to prevent a breakdown of law and order,” Ojelabi said.
He disclosed that CP Zungura has ordered the transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a comprehensive probe.
Assuring the public that all individuals involved, regardless of factional affiliation, will face justice, .Ojelabi said, “Those implicated in the incident should report to the nearest police station to present their statements, rather than taking to social media to claim innocence.
