The Osun State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the killing of a former unit chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Kazeem Oyewole, who was allegedly murdered by suspected hoodlums in Osogbo on Sunday.

The killing triggered tension across some motor parks in the Osogbo metropolis, as individuals believed to be associates of the deceased reportedly moved around major parks, allegedly searching for those suspected to be behind Oyewole’s death.

Oyewole, who served as part-time chairman of the NURTW Aregbe Unit between 2018 and 2022, was said to have been attacked in the afternoon around Elelede Junction. The exact circumstances surrounding his death remained unclear as of press time.

However, a resident who witnessed the incident from a distance and requested anonymity for security reasons told PUNCH Metro on Sunday that some hoodlums had stationed themselves at the Elelede Junction, allegedly extorting money from passersby under the guise of raising funds for a proposed carnival.

“While that was going on, a motorcycle carrying two people arrived at the scene, and those hoodlums forced the two passengers to disembark. They started fighting those passengers.

I heard gunshots. They later identified one of the two persons who were attacked as Kazeem.

“Later, they brought big stones and smashed the head of a man identified as Kazeem. He died on the spot. The other person, however, escaped from the scene of the attack with an open wound. After the incident, the hoodlums fled before police arrived,” the resident said.

A shop owner at the Elelede Junction, identified simply as Basira, said business activities in the area were abruptly disrupted by the violence.

She said, “The person who was killed was identified as Kazeem Oyewole by some NURTW people who came after the incident. He was said to be the former part-time chairman of an NURTW unit along Osogbo/Gbongan Road in the Aregbe area.”

Our correspondent, who monitored the security situation at Old Garage and Aregbe motor parks on Sunday evening, observed that residents stayed away from the parks for fear of being caught up in possible reprisals, while the presence of hoodlums was also noticed around the areas.

Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the command had begun a probe into the killing.

He said, “We are aware of the incident that happened at Orita Elelede (Osogbo), and we deployed our men to the place immediately after the information got to us, but unfortunately, one person was confirmed dead. He was identified as Kazeem; other name unknown. Investigation has commenced.”

On whether security operatives had been deployed to motor parks to prevent escalation, Ojelabi added, “We are still monitoring the situation. We are going to monitor the parks for now.”

The killing is the latest in a series of violent incidents involving NURTW leaders in the state. On November 27, 2025, a prominent NURTW leader in Osun, Adeboye Ademoroti, was shot dead by unknown assailants in Ilesa.

Although the circumstances surrounding Ademoroti’s killing were unclear, security sources told PUNCH Metro that he and another person were attacked in the Olomilagbala area of Ilesa by gunmen. (The PUNCH)

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