I Foresaw My Son’s Death – Mother Of Slain Osun Motor Park Chief

JOSHUA DADA writes about the last-minute activities of Mr Olalekan Oyeyemi, aka Ajagungbade, who was shot dead a few days ago by the yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

For Mr Olalekan Oyeyemi, aka ‘Emir Ajagungbade, it was supposed to be another quiet Sunday after he met with members of his group and an Osun State commissioner. But he did not know that death was lurking around the corner, waiting for the right moment to strike, carried out by men of darkness.

The gunmen came without warning. According to eyewitnesses, his killers stormed in, shot him at close range, then pounced on him. Screams filled the air, but fear kept many indoors. By the time help arrived, Ajagungbade was lying in a pool of his own blood, brutally hacked.

His death has plunged his family and the entire community into mourning and fear. His killing is raising more questions than answers — who wanted Ajagungbade dead and why was such brutal force used against him?

As police begin an investigation, his body is now in the grave. Still, his story lingers in every whispered conversation on the streets — a chilling reminder that nowhere seems safe anymore.

The controversy and tension sparked by the gruesome murder of Mr Olalekan Oyeyemi, aka ‘Emir Ajagungbade’, the factional leader of the Osun State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and a loyalist of Governor Ademola Adeleke, in Ile-Ife may not end soon.

Ajagungbade was reportedly shot dead near Mayfair Motor Park, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on the afternoon of Sunday, 13 September 2026, shortly after attending a meeting with Osun State Commissioner for Transport, Ephraim Olusesan Oyedele, at Oyedele’s country home in Modakeke.

Oyeyemi, who was in his early 40s, was said to hail from Erunmu, Oyo State, while his mother, Mama Gbaale, was said to be an Osun priestess from Ede. Oyeyemi was said to be brilliant at school. He obtained his National Diploma (ND) from Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, but opted to enter the transport business after graduating.

He was described as a selfless and bold leader who won the hearts of his associates through his commitment to their well-being. He was also described as a cheerful giver. While some people attributed his death to a leadership tussle over motor park control across the state, others said he was caught up in the web of cult rivalry. In contrast, others believed that his death was politically motivated.

Ademola Jackson Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, was repeatedly alleged by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to have harboured Emir Ajagungbade at the Government House. The party showed a video allegedly depicting Ajagungbade at the Government House gate in Osogbo.

It was reported that the ‘great Emir’ went to Ile-Ife with some of his associates to attend a meeting on the fateful day, held a fruitful discussion with the Hon. Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Sesan Oyedele, and headed for Mayfair motor park. While cooling down with a sumptuous meal, masked gunmen arrived and ended his life.

His adversaries and associates, including the state vice chairman of NURTW, Mr Gbadegesin, offered different accounts of the circumstances surrounding his death, as in a viral video.

Gbadegesin said, “I was in church when I received a call from our Assistant State Secretary informing me that a meeting was to be held at the Commissioner’s house in Modakeke. The state executives of the NURTW attended the meeting.

“He (the Commissioner) told us that Ajagungbade was touted as the next state chairman of the union. Immediately after the meeting, we took photographs. They were about to leave when Emir told us that the elders who had come to eat would like to have one more meal before returning to Osogbo. That was how we all moved to the Mayfair Park to eat.

“It was during this period that Nurudeen Alowonle, the erstwhile state chairman, whose leadership the government had dissolved, was in question. We had also been seeing several posts on social media touting Emir as the next chairman, endorsed by the state government.”

“What happened afterwards was that Alowonle and one Olayemi Ojo, known as Sibi, the branch chairman of Sabo/Lagere park, came in to attack us. They came with individuals identified as Sultan, Imole, Elesin, and about 10 other people, all wearing masks and carrying sophisticated weapons.

“Everyone had to scamper for safety. I learnt that Emir was shot as he ran to hide. I was not there, but I learnt he did not die on the spot. Thereafter, he was reportedly taken to Osogbo in the Sienna bus he had arrived in.”

Why Ajagungbade Visited Me – Commissioner

His claim, however, was criticised by the commissioner, Sesan Oyedele, who said that, given Gbadegesin’s account, he couldn’t have been at the meeting.

According to him, he didn’t announce the deceased’s preference for the next chairman of the NURTW in the state at the meeting.

He said the suggestion that Mr Olalekan Oyeyemi become the next chairman of NURTW in the state was made by those present at the meeting.

Oyedele said, “The person who did the video (Gbadegesin) was not in the meeting I had with them. Had he been there, he would have known that what I told them was not what he said in that video.

“I was not in the meeting they had in Osogbo last week. After that meeting, which involved transport union members from various branches, they called me on Thursday and said they wanted to come and see me.

“I told them to come to my office on Monday, but they said they could come to my house. They came around 9:00 am on Sunday. When they got to my house, they told me they had all agreed that Olalekan Emir should be the next chairman and wanted me to support them.

“I told them that since that was what they wanted, I would present their case to the governor, the Chief of Staff and others when he returned to the state.

“That was our agreement before they left. 2 hours after they left my house, I was called to say that Emir had been killed.”

The factional chairman of the union, Mr Wakili Nurudeen, aka Alowonle, whom Gbadegesin mentioned, expressed dismay at being linked to the incident. He also denied involvement, responding to a viral video claiming he was in Osogbo throughout the incident.

“I did not leave Osogbo. I do not know anything about what happened. Nobody should defame me. Whenever anything happens, it is my name they will mention. I am not a murderer. I am not a criminal,” he said in the video.

Also, Ojo, popularly known as Sibi, who was alleged to have led the group that attacked Oyeyemi, claimed innocence in another video.

Sibi said in the video: “This evening around 2:30 pm, we saw some boys around Ife 1 Garage carrying new pump-action rifles heading towards our direction after a meeting. Our boss, Gbade, was the one who allegedly hired those boys, including Obagoal, Tosin Dabiri, Lekan, among others, who attacked us.

“We thank God. Look at my body, riddled with bullet wounds. I am not the one who killed Emir. I do not know him.”

However, the Osun State Police has promised to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of Ajagungbade and to ensure that whoever was involved in the dastardly act is brought to book.

Speaking, the command Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, directed everyone mentioned or connected with the controversy surrounding the incident to report to the nearest police station to say what they knew about the death of Emir, rather than go to social media to defend themselves.

Ojelabi, who disclosed that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation, assured that those involved in the dastardly act will be apprehended.

He said, “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.”

Family members, associates and neighbours of Emir Ajagungbade have demanded justice for his shocking and gruesome murder.

Lamenting Oyeyemi’s sudden death, Tunde Osundina, an indigene of Ede who claimed to be Oyeyemi’s maternal brother, said the killers of his brother must not go unpunished.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Osogbo, Osundina said he was with his brother, who was hale and hearty on Saturday, adding that he (the deceased) had promised to assist him financially, only to hear of his death.

“Whosoever is responsible for the untimely death of my brother should be apprehended and made to pay for the consequences of his actions. My brother must not die in vain. His mother, Mama Gbaale, is in agony.”

His neighbour at Agunbelewo Osogbo, Mrs Bola Oyeniyi, who lamented the deceased’s death, said that Emir Ajagungbade had been a security agent in the neighbourhood, adding that hoodlums would not dare harass them while he was alive.

“We are devastated here. Emir has been a security agent for us; though we sometimes fear his boys, he will not condone nonsense from them while he is alive. Police should unravel the circumstances that led to his death and punish the culprit,” Oyeniyi said.

I Saw My Son’s Death Coming – Ajagungbade’s mother

Meanwhile, the mother of Oyeyemi said she was aware that her son would be killed in the state. She said she tried in vain to avert it. In a viral video, she said that all her attempts to stop it were in vain.

She said, “I knew my son’s blood would be among those to be spilt. I tried to prevent it. If I showed you my telephone, you would all see what I did. It is God who knows everything. I tried to prevent it, but I couldn’t. This is because God has destined it to be so.”

“As his blood has been spilt, I don’t want his death to affect the good work of Governor Adeleke.”