The Osun State Police Command has recovered another corpse within the premises of Mayfair Motor Park in Ile-Ife, raising the number of deaths linked to Sunday’s violent clash at the park to two.
The development came as the remains of an Accord Party chieftain, Olalekan Oyeyemi, popularly known as Emir Ajagungbade, were buried in Osogbo on Monday amid heightened security.
Oyeyemi was shot dead on Sunday during a clash involving factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at the Mayfair Motor Park.
The latest corpse was recovered by police within the precinct of the park and deposited at a morgue, according to the command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi.
Ojelabi disclosed this while giving an update on the incident, adding that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“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,” he said.
The police spokesperson said persons mentioned in connection with the violence should report themselves to the nearest police station instead of using 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,” Ojelabi added.
The violence has been linked to a leadership struggle within the transport union, with Oyeyemi reportedly being considered for the position of Osun State chairman of the NURTW.
Governor Ademola Adeleke had earlier directed the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, to identify and arrest those responsible for Oyeyemi’s killing.
Meanwhile, tension escalated at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, where the deceased’s body was kept before being released for burial.
Suspected associates of Oyeyemi reportedly attacked two hospital workers after discovering that they were recording the incident with their mobile phones.
The situation later returned to normal following the arrival of additional police personnel at the hospital.
Oyeyemi’s remains were subsequently taken from the hospital and transported to his newly completed residence in the Agunbelewo area of Osogbo, where traditionalists performed the burial rites.
The interment was witnessed by close family members and priests, while some of the deceased’s associates who accompanied the body from the hospital reportedly waited outside the premises.
Commissioner Denies Endorsing Oyeyemi
The state Commissioner for Transportation, Sesan Oyedele, has also denied claims that he summoned NURTW leaders to his residence in Modakeke on Sunday to endorse Oyeyemi as the next chairman of the union.
Two NURTW leaders in Ile-Ife, identified as Gbadagesin and Kazeem Akeem, had alleged in videos circulated online that Oyedele called the union leaders to his residence and told them that the state government had endorsed Oyeyemi.
Oyedele dismissed the allegation, saying the person who made the video was not present at the meeting.
According to him, representatives of different NURTW branches had contacted him after a meeting in Osogbo and requested to see him.
He said they eventually visited his residence around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and informed him that they had agreed to support Oyeyemi as the next state chairman.
Oyedele said he told the delegation that he would present their position to Governor Adeleke, the Chief of Staff and other relevant officials when the governor returned to the state.
He said the delegation left his residence after the discussion and that he received information about Oyeyemi’s killing about two hours later. “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.
The commissioner appealed to residents to remain calm, assuring that efforts were ongoing to resolve the crisis.
The police have commenced further investigation into the killings and promised to arrest anyone found culpable, regardless of their status.
