The killing of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s political associate, Olalekan Oyeyemi, popularly known as Emir, was not a swift hit. It was a prolonged, brutal overpowering that has now triggered a total proscription of NURTW activities in Osun State.
Fresh eyewitness accounts have surfaced detailing how the self-styled Aníkúlápó – the man who carries death in his pouch – was cornered and murdered at Mayfair Motor Park, Ile-Ife, on Sunday, September 13, just days before his 32nd birthday.
Ambushed Inside Iya Ibeji’s Canteen
According to sources at the scene, Emir had just left a peace meeting at the Modakeke residence of the Commissioner for Transportation, Sesan Oyedele, where his endorsement as the next chairman of the Park Management System was allegedly discussed.
He stopped with his loyalists at a canteen owned by one Iya Ibeji to eat when gunmen struck. Witnesses said some attackers wore uniforms of a local security outfit, fueling claims of conspiracy.
Emir was called out from where he was eating. His Personal Assistant, Samuel Gbogo, fled as gunfire erupted.
Bullets Failed, Hammer Finished Him
What happened next has shocked Osogbo. A source who pleaded anonymity said bullets were fired at Emir repeatedly at close range but failed to penetrate.
In desperation, the self-styled mystic who once cheated death in 2015 lunged to snatch a rifle from one of his attackers. He was overpowered.
The assailants then turned to a hammer, striking him repeatedly on the forehead until he bled heavily. Only after he collapsed did they riddle him with more bullets and flee around 3:15 pm.
He was rushed towards Osogbo. Witnesses said he jerked back to life on the road. At UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, family members reportedly warned doctors not to inject him because he possessed apaji, a resurrection charm. He was taken to his herbalist where a lamp of redemption was lit, suggesting life still in him, before being returned to hospital on oxygen. He died around 10:38 pm. A doctor noted his skull had been deliberately smashed to ensure he would not survive.
Betrayal, Power Struggle And Denials
Until his death, Emir had risen from street enforcer around Isale Aro and Balogun Agoro to a prominent political actor. He had survived an assassination in 2015, was declared dead with obituary posters pasted across Osogbo, only to be nursed back to life in a bush at Agunbelewo.
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His murder is linked to the violent struggle for control of Osun motor parks. Emir, appointed to the Park Managers in 2023 after declining the chairmanship to pursue an HND in Mass Communication at Osun State Poly, Iree, had reportedly secured government nod to replace Nurudeen Wakili, alias Alowonle, as chairman.
Commissioner Oyedele denied summoning the meeting, saying union leaders came to his house to inform him they had agreed on Emir. Alowonle, in a viral video, denied involvement.
Governor Adeleke, through spokesman Olawale Rasheed, has called for arrest of the perpetrators.
