Tension has gripped parts of Osun State following the assassination of Olalekan Ajagungbade, popularly known as “Emir,” a prominent political associate of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Ajagungbade was shot in the head after allegedly being lured to a commercial motor park in Ile-Ife under the guise of attending a reconciliation meeting.
Motor park supremacy battle turns fatal
According to preliminary reports, the killing was linked to an ongoing power struggle over the control and revenue administration of commercial motor parks across Osun State.
Ajagungbade was reportedly leading a faction seeking to wrest control of the state’s transport unions from the current leadership headed by commercial driver leader Nurudeen Alowonle.
The meeting in Ile-Ife was intended to resolve leadership disputes, but it quickly escalated into targeted violence.
Governor Adeleke orders park evacuation, police manhunt
In response to the killing and the risk of retaliatory attacks, Governor Ademola Adeleke directed the Osun State Police Command to launch an immediate manhunt to apprehend all individuals involved in the murder.
Speaking through his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor ordered all warring transport factions to vacate motor parks across the state immediately to prevent further violence.
Governor Adeleke also announced plans to issue an Executive Order establishing a state-run Park Management System to restore order, oversee park revenues, and eliminate transport union violence.
Security agencies have deployed tactical units across major transport hubs in Osun State to maintain public order and prevent further disruptions to business activities.
