The Osun State Police Command has recovered another corpse from the Mayfair Motor Park in Ile-Ife following Sunday’s shooting, bringing the number of confirmed fatalities to two.
The latest discovery came as the remains of Accord Party chieftain, Olalekan Oyeyemi, popularly known as Emir Ajagungbade, were buried at his residence in Agunbelewo, Osogbo, on Monday.
Oyeyemi was reportedly killed during a confrontation involving him and a faction of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at the motor park. A video circulated online after the incident showed the deceased lying in a pool of blood inside a vehicle.
The state police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the motor park had been shut following the violence, while the recovered body was deposited at a morgue.
He said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department and warned people mentioned in connection with the incident to report to the police rather than use social media to defend themselves.
Ojelabi said the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, had directed that everyone linked to the incident be arrested and prosecuted, regardless of their status.
Meanwhile, Oyeyemi’s burial was conducted according to traditional rites and witnessed by members of his family and traditional priests. His associates who accompanied his remains from the Osun State University Teaching Hospital were reportedly kept outside during the rites.
Tension was also reported at the hospital after suspected associates of the deceased allegedly attacked two workers accused of recording proceedings with their phones. Additional police personnel later arrived at the facility and restored calm.
The killing has been linked to efforts by some NURTW members to have Oyeyemi installed as the union’s next Osun State chairman.
However, the state Commissioner for Transportation, Sesan Oyedele, denied allegations that he had summoned NURTW leaders to his Modakeke residence and informed them that the government had endorsed Oyeyemi for the position.
Oyedele said the union members visited him on Sunday and asked him to support their preferred candidate. According to him, he only promised to present their request to Governor Ademola Adeleke and other government officials.
He said the delegation left his residence about two hours before he received information that Oyeyemi had been killed.
Oyedele appealed for calm, assuring residents that efforts were underway to resolve the crisis surrounding the transport union.
