Osun police hunt ex-NURTW chiefs over killing of Adeleke ally

The Osun State Police Command has declared a former factional chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Nurudeen Alowonle, wanted over the killing of Olalekan Oyeyemi, a political ally of Governor Ademola Adeleke, as six suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Oyeyemi, popularly known as Emir, was shot dead on September 13 at Mayfair Motor Park in Ile-Ife, Osun State, amid tensions surrounding control of motor parks in the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, announced Alowonle’s wanted status on Monday during a briefing at the command headquarters in Osogbo, where suspects arrested in connection with several criminal cases were paraded.

Zungura said police were also searching for another NURTW figure, Ojo Adeyemi, popularly known as Sibi, over their alleged involvement in the killing.

According to the police commissioner, preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects in custody were allegedly mobilised by the two men to carry out the attack.

The police said one of the arrested suspects, Hammed Olalekan Dauda, also known as Jagaban, was found with a locally made, cut-to-size firearm. Dauda allegedly told investigators that Alowonle gave him the weapon.

Four of the six suspects arrested over the killing are operatives of the Osun Amotekun Corps, according to the police.

They were identified as Tijani Ismail, Akinsola Ekundayo, Sijuade Moruf and Ayeni Adegbola.

The other suspects include Dauda and Waliyu Adejare, popularly known as Jay Jay, who was identified by the police as Alowonle’s personal assistant.

The police said the arrests followed investigations into the circumstances surrounding Oyeyemi’s death, adding that efforts were continuing to apprehend the two men declared wanted and other suspects still at large.

The command has not announced their arrest.

Oyeyemi’s killing intensified an already contentious dispute over the control of motor parks and garages across Osun State.

Following the incident, Adeleke ordered the suspension of NURTW activities across the state and directed rival groups involved in the leadership dispute to vacate motor parks and garages.

The governor also instructed security agencies to arrest those allegedly connected to the killing, promising that anyone found culpable would face the law.

His administration subsequently moved to establish a new framework for managing motor parks, citing the need to address persistent disputes and restore order in the transport sector.

On October 5, Adeleke signed the Integrated Transport, Traffic and Park Management System Bill 2026 into law after its passage by the Osun State House of Assembly.

The legislation has however generated opposition from the All Progressives Congress in the state, which questioned the constitutional authority of the state government to regulate motor parks, arguing that such responsibilities fall within the functions of local government councils.

The state government and lawmakers have rejected the objection, defending the legislation as part of efforts to resolve the crisis.

The police investigation into Oyeyemi’s killing remains ongoing, with officers working to arrest Alowonle, Sibi and other suspects allegedly connected to the attack.