The Osun State Police Command has recovered another corpse from the Mayfair Motor Park in Ile-Ife, bringing the number of deaths linked to Sunday’s shooting at the park to two.
The police confirmed the development on Monday as the remains of Olalekan Oyeyemi, a chieftain of the Accord Party in Osun State popularly known as ‘Emir Ajagungbade,’ were laid to rest at his newly completed residence in the Agunbelewo area of Osogbo according to traditional rites.
Emir died on Sunday after gunmen opened fire during a clash involving him and a group led by another National Union of Road Transport Workers leader identified by his nickname, Sibi, at the Mayfair Motor Park.
A video that circulated on social media after the incident showed Emir lying face down in a pool of blood inside a vehicle.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, later confirmed Emir’s death in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, and directed the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, to identify and arrest those responsible.
Emir’s death has been linked to moves by some members of the transport union to install him as the next Osun State chairman of the NURTW.
Police Recover Second Corpse
Providing an update on the incident, the Osun State Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, told journalists that the police had recovered another body from the motor park.
“The governor has decided that the park should not operate. The park has not been operating. A corpse was also recovered by the police, and it has been deposited at the morgue.
“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for more investigation. Those being mentioned in connection with the crime, they should go to the nearest Police station to report themselves rather than going to social media to defend themselves. The Commissioner of Police has promised that all those involved will be apprehended and face the law, irrespective of who they are.”
Meanwhile, traditionalists conducted Emir’s burial rites in the presence of close family members and priests.
His associates, who accompanied his remains from the Osun State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, waited outside the premises while the traditional burial rites took place.
Hoodlums Attack Hospital Workers
Before the hospital released Emir’s remains, suspected hoodlums believed to be associates of the deceased attacked two members of staff after discovering that the workers were recording them with their phones.
Our correspondent, who visited the hospital to monitor developments, later observed the arrival of additional police vehicles carrying security operatives. Their presence helped restore calm at the facility.
Commissioner Denies Endorsing Emir as NURTW Chairman
Meanwhile, the Osun State Commissioner for Transportation, Sesan Oyedele, has denied claims that he summoned NURTW leaders to his residence in Modakeke on Sunday and told them that the state government had endorsed Emir as the next chairman of the union.
Two NURTW leaders in Ile-Ife, identified as Gbadagesin and Kazeem Akeem, had made the allegation in videos circulating on social media.
Speaking with PUNCH Online, Oyedele dismissed the claim and said the individuals who spoke about the meeting were not present when the issue of the NURTW chairmanship came up.
“The person who did the video was not at the meeting I had with them. Had he been there, he would have known that what I told them was not what he said in that video. I was not in the meeting they had in Osogbo last week. After that meeting, which involved transport union members from various branches, they called me on Thursday and said they wanted to come and see me. I told them to come to my office on Monday (today), but they said they could come to my house.
“They came around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. When they got to my house, they told me that they had all agreed that Olalekan Emir should be the next chairman, and they wanted me to support them. I told them that since that was what they wanted, I would present their case before the governor, the Chief of Staff and others when he gets back to the state. That was our agreement before they left. It was two hours after they left my house that I was called that Emir had been killed,” he said.
Oyedele appealed to residents to remain calm, assuring them that the government was working to resolve the crisis.
The police have meanwhile transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation and vowed to arrest and prosecute everyone found culpable, regardless of their status.
spokesperson for Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi