Ajagungbade’s Mother Opens Up: “My Heart Told Me Something Was Coming”

A mother mourning the violent death of her son has revealed that she had feared for his life long before he was killed.

The mother of Olamilekan Ajagungbade, popularly known as Emir, spoke publicly for the first time since the Osun transport union chieftain was shot dead in Ile-Ife on September 13, 2026.

In an emotional video circulating on Friday, September 18, the elderly woman was seen sitting among mourners, visibly overcome with grief.

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Speaking in Yoruba, she said she had already feared that something terrible could happen to her son and had taken steps she believed could help keep him safe.

“I already knew that something terrible could happen to my son,” she said. She then urged those around her to check her phone, saying the messages and conversations on the device would show the extent of her efforts to protect him before his death.

The grieving mother, however, acknowledged that despite human efforts, life and death remain beyond human control.

Ajagungbade, an Accord Party chieftain and transport union figure in Osun, was killed during violence linked to a dispute over the control of a motor park in Ile-Ife.

The killing triggered fresh concerns over clashes surrounding motor park leadership in the state.

His death also prompted Governor Ademola Adeleke to order the police to arrest those allegedly involved and announce plans to reintroduce a Park Management System across Osun’s motor parks.

The Osun State Police Command said it had commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting and urged residents to avoid reprisals and provide information that could assist the investigation.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the mother’s first public appearance since the killing has added a deeply personal dimension to a case that has already generated political, security and public-interest concerns in Ile-Ife.

For the family, however, the debate over the motor park dispute is now overshadowed by the loss of a son. Her message, delivered through tears, was less about the politics around his death and more about a mother’s claim that she saw danger coming, tried to prevent it, and still could not save her child.