“Bring All Culprits to Book”: Adeleke Bans NURTW After Emir’s Murder

ILE-IFE, Osun State — The gunshots started around 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 13, 2026.

For more than twenty minutes, they tore through the air around Mayfair Motor Park in Ile-Ife, sending traders, transport workers and residents scrambling for cover.

When the shooting stopped, Olalekan Oyeyemi, known across Osun as “Emir Ajagungbade”, lay dead, shot in the head inside a vehicle, his hooded cardigan soaked in blood.

By Sunday night, the Osun State Police Command had confirmed it had commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

But the killing of a man who was simultaneously a governor’s associate, an Accord Party chieftain, a former wanted suspect, and a key player in the state’s volatile transport politics was never going to be a simple case.

What Happened at Mayfair

According to police and multiple eyewitness accounts, Emir was at Mayfair Motor Park for a meeting with transport operators when violence broke out.

The meeting was reportedly linked to a lingering leadership dispute over control of the park.

The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the police received a distress call about an incident around Energy Filling Station, Ile-Ife, and operatives were promptly deployed to restore normalcy and secure the scene.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that one Olalekan Oyeyemi, aka Emir, was shot. The Command is currently working to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the shooting, identify those responsible, and bring all persons found culpable to justice,” Ojelabi said.

The violence was not confined to Mayfair.

The Guardian reported that gunshots also rocked motor parks in Sabo and Lagere areas of Ile-Ife.

A vehicle carrying individuals connected to one of the rival groups was later involved in an accident on the Ife-Ibadan Expressway while fleeing the area.

Sporadic gunshots were also reported in parts of Osogbo, including Isale Osun and Asoje, forcing residents to remain indoors.

The Rival Factions

The dispute that claimed Emir’s life is not new.

It is the latest flashpoint in a long-running battle over control of motor parks in Osun State, a battle that pits factions loyal to different transport union leaders against each other.

According to reports, the immediate clash involved groups associated with Comrade Nurudeen Alowonle, popularly known as Alowonle or Wakili, and the chairman of Ife Mini-Bus operators, identified as Sibi.

According to one eye witness, Emir was shot during a clash involving him and a group of drivers led by Sibi around Mayfair Motor Park.

Another account described the incident as occurring during a “peace meeting” between two factional groups within the state’s Park Management System, with Emir reportedly travelling to Ile-Ife for the meeting with a group loyal to Alowonle, led by Sibi.

The underlying tensions had been building for weeks.

In July 2026, Governor Ademola Adeleke had ordered the immediate suspension of all National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) activities in motor parks across the state following recurring clashes.

Despite that order, gunshots were reported at Mayfair Motor Park on Sunday, July 26, 2026, with eyewitnesses alleging that armed police officers escorted suspected thugs to the park in defiance of the governor’s directive.

One source told SaharaReporters:

“The governor’s order is to ensure normalcy is restored to the parks. Imagine that the police that should be concerned about peace now escort thugs to go against the governor’s order. It is an unfortunate situation”.

Who Was Emir Ajagungbade?

Olalekan Oyeyemi was a complex and controversial figure.

At the time of his death, he was a chieftain of the Accord Party and a political associate of Governor Adeleke.

He had reportedly served on a transition-related committee connected to Adeleke’s administration and had previously been associated with the political structure of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

But his past was equally well documented.

In July 2022, the Osun State Police Command declared Oyeyemi wanted over allegations including murder, cultism and armed robbery.

He was subsequently arrested and arraigned before the Federal High Court in Osogbo in 2024 on charges reportedly including terrorism, conspiracy and unlawful killing.

He was granted bail in April 2024.

The duality of his life; political associate and wanted suspect, governor’s ally and alleged cultist, reflects the murky intersection of politics, transport unions and informal power structures that has long defined motor park politics in south-western Nigeria.

Adeleke’s Response: Arrests, Ban and a New Park Management System

Governor Adeleke’s response was swift and sweeping.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the governor ordered the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, to immediately arrest all those involved in the killing.

“Law and order must be maintained. There will be no sacred cows as all culprits will be brought to book,” Adeleke said.

The governor also ordered rival groups to immediately vacate motor parks across the state and directed security agencies to restore normalcy.

In a major policy shift, he announced plans to reintroduce the Park Management System across Osun State, saying an Executive Order would soon be issued to give effect to the new framework.

“We are reintroducing the Park Management System. I will soon issue an Executive Order to give effect to the new management system to manage parks and garages across the state,” Adeleke said.

The governor also banned all NURTW activities in motor parks across the state, directing security agencies to arrest anyone operating in the name of the union.

“I hereby direct the police and other security agencies to stop all activities of the union in all our parks across the state. I am not saying you should close the parks, but you should not allow anyone to operate in the parks in the name of the union,” he said.

The Cycle of Violence

Osun State’s motor parks have been a flashpoint for political violence for years.

The parks are not just transport hubs; they are revenue streams and political territories.

Control of a motor park means control of daily levies, which means money, which means power.

The July 2026 clash that led to the initial NURTW suspension was preceded by another violent incident on July 21, 2026, when police arrested a suspect after a gun duel between rival NURTW factions.

The cycle has repeated itself with depressing regularity: a dispute over park leadership, a clash, a suspension, a lull, and then another clash.

The reintroduction of the Park Management System is Adeleke’s attempt to break that cycle. But whether it will succeed where previous interventions failed remains to be seen.

The Police Investigation

The Osun State Police Command has assured the public that every necessary investigative and operational measure is being taken.

The Commissioner of Police condemned the incident and warned individuals and groups against taking the law into their own hands or engaging in acts of reprisal, violence or destruction of property.

“The Command assures members of the public that every necessary investigative and operational measure is being taken to get to the root of the matter,” Ojelabi said.

The Command also expressed condolences to Emir’s immediate family and friends.