The gruesome murder of Olalekan Oyeyemi, a political ally of Governor Ademola Adeleke popularly known as Emir, has renewed questions over the violent struggle for control of motor parks within the Accord Party in Osun State. TOBA ADEDEJI retraces the rise and fall of the self-styled mystic and political actor and the conflicts that preceded his death.
It was a scene of confusion and terror at a canteen via Mayfair Motor Park in Ile-Ife owned by one ‘Iya Ibeji’, where Emir and some members of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were eating before an attack by some gunmen took the self-styled Aníkúlápó (one who carries death in his pouch) away.
It was gathered that some of the attackers were in the uniform of a local security outlet, suggesting that his murder was a product of conspiracy.
A source at the scene, who pleaded not to be named, recalled that Emir was called out of where he was eating with some of his loyalists within the NURTW by the attackers who eventually killed him after overpowering him at the scene of the attack.
The source said Emir was shot repeatedly, causing his Personal Assistant, identified simply as Samuel Gbogo, to flee the scene. However, after Samuel had fled, Emir was said to have put up a fierce struggle, attempting to snatch a rifle from one of the gunmen when he had been shot repeatedly but the bullets did not penetrate. He was eventually overpowered as he was said to have been struck repeatedly with a hammer on his forehead, leaving him to bleed heavily, after which the attackers shot at him several times before they fled the scene.
Until his death, Emir, widely known for his flamboyant lifestyle and self-styled identity as an ‘Anikulapo’, rose from relative obscurity to become a prominent figure on Osun’s streets, among the youths and the state’s political landscape.
Revolving around his influence was his alleged involvement in activities like cultism, thuggery, land grabbing and student unionism. His death has since triggered questions about the events that preceded the killing, the internal political tension surrounding the motor park structure and the circumstances that turned a once powerful political associate into the victim of a brutal assassination.
Emir’s early life and how he earned himself the Aníkúlápó sobriquet
Emir was raised by a mother who is an Osun adherent in Osogbo, Osun State capital, although he is from a community around Ejigbo town. He marks his birthday on September 21 of every year and was to clock 32 before he was killed on September 13.
It was reliably gathered that Emir spent his early days following Sunday Adeyemi, popularly known as Sunday Igboho before he later proceeded to school.
However, he started gaining popularity through land grabbing activities and street right advocacy by resisting cheating of common residents of the state capital. He later earned himself the nick name of Ajagungbade (one who fought to earn a crown).
Emir earned more street credibility after building his own gang and started moving with the members for rights advocacy and land grabbing activities in the Osogbo metropolis. He later secured his base around Isale Aro after which he moved to Balogun Agoro of Osogbo.
While he was raising to stardom on the street, his gang members were always clashing with another led by one Asiri who was a member of the NURTW, leading to a brutal clash between them in 2015, nearly taking his life.
A source, who identified himself simply as Sola, disclosed that Emir was shot and was hacked during the attack where he was initially confirmed dead, not clinically. ‘He was confirmed dead and his obituary poster was pasted in places where he was popular in Osogbo, while some of his lovers held a candle night procession for him days after he was pronounced dead.’
The source, however, said he came back to life after he was taken to a bush at the back of Onward area of Agunbelewo where he was nursed back of life through traditional and medical methods.
Sola said: ‘Her mother and her traditional religion worshippers stood by him and were fortifying him on the death bed. It was a most terrifying moment for every one of us because one minute he was alive and another minute we perceived he was dead.
‘Emir was bedridden for months after which he was later referred to hospital for final healing and restoration of his health.’
The news that Emir was still alive months after he had been declared dead threw Osogbo into a whirlpool of disbelief, relief and resentment. For residents who had mourned him, the revelation was almost surreal.
Obituary posters had been displayed across the town, while some sympathisers had participated in candlelight processions believing they were honouring a man who had died. The discovery that he was alive therefore came as a startling reversal of grief.
For some of those who had crossed paths with Emir or benefited from his interventions, particularly people who believed he had helped them secure justice, the news brought relief and even happiness. What had been accepted as mourning suddenly gave way to conversations about a man they thought they had lost but who had survived.
But the reaction was not universally celebratory. Some of his rivals and people who had developed deep animosity towards him reportedly received the news with disappointment. For them, the death they thought had brought an end to a bitter chapter was suddenly no longer the case.
The revelation consequently left Osogbo with mixed emotions: people who had lit candles in mourning were now confronting the unexpected reality of his survival, while those who had considered him an ally celebrated and those who regarded him as an adversary struggled with the news.
For a town that had already moved from announcing his death to mourning him publicly, the discovery that Emir was alive transformed the story from one of loss into one of the most extraordinary episodes people could remember.
It was learnt that a prominent traditional priest later mediated between Emir and Asiri to broker peace after the former was healed from the wounds inflicted on him. Emir’s fame spread abroad and he was said to have later joined the Aye Confratality, christening himself as ‘Anikulapo’ because he cheated death.
After the 2018 Osun State governorship election, he had joined the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but later left the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). A source close to late Emir revealed that he left after realising that his rival whom he had deep seated animosity for because of the life threatening attack unleashed on him and confraternity related issues.
Emir strives for better life after near death experience, confraternity rivalry
Meanwhile, as the self-styled Anikulapo was becoming more popular for his dreadfulness in the state and political space, he strived to earn himself a new identity despite that he had been fingered in lots of cult rivalry killings and political violence in the state.
Emir had earned himself Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificate before his fame in thuggery and cultism. Then in 2023, he renewed his pursuit to get more academic certificate as he secured admission into Osun State Polytechnic Iree, to study Mass Communication.
Upon resumption, he began to shy away from his old ways, especially thuggery and cultism. He embraced the academic journey with utmost seriousness as he wanted to use education to put a robe of gentleness and responsibility on. He mulled the ambition to become the president of the Student Union Government of the institution and commenced the plans to actualise his goal.
One of his ex-classmates and friends identified simply as Ade told The Nation that Emir was a very jovial and kind hearted person who eschewed violence and embrace peace when he was in school.
He said: ‘Despite that he was known for thuggery and cultism, he became an ambassador of peace and harmony. He was cheated many times and we would urge him to fight back but he resisted our advice. He became a peace advocate in school but pursued his unionism agenda.
‘He was distancing himself from other cult members in school and was constantly refining himself. Even in Osogbo, he hardly moved with his old gang members so that they could see a new him in the society.’
However, on September 15, 2023, he was arrested by the Osun State Police Command after they declared him wanted for alleged murder, cultism and armed robbery. He was whisked away to the Force Headquarters for discreet investigation into allegations of extrajudicial killing, political killings including the murder of the younger brother of NURTW boss, Kazeem Oyeyemi ‘Asiri Eniba’ in 2022 when Adeleke was sworn in as governor and he sacked the leadership that was loyal to the All Progressives Congress(APC) at the time.
Emir was later moved to Osun State and dragged to the Federal High Court on an 11-count charge covering conspiracy, arson, unlawful killing and terrorism. He was accused of involvement in violent attacks and the murder of four individuals (Muraina Olayiwole, Tope, Tajudeen Rabiu, and Oyewale Sharif) in Osogbo in 2022 before and after the governorship election.
The police prosecutor noted that those allegedly killed by Emir were members of APC. He was later granted bail in the sum of N50 million on April 16, 2024 with two sureties as the presiding judge said that one of the sureties had to be a traditional ruler in the state (submitting his instrument of appointment), and the second surety had to be either a member of the National Assembly or a level-17 civil servant who should also submit his certificate of return or letter of appointment.
In addition, he was required to deposit N5 million, surrender his national passport, and sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour. He was released after seven months of incarceration as he missed exams in school and his ambition to become the SUG president in Osun Poly was dashed due to his arrest.
He later sat for the examinations he missed and he bagged Higher National Diploma (HND) in 2026. A source in the school confirmed that he collected his result last week after he went through clearance exercise in the school as he was trying to get a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) form in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
A close ally of Emir told our correspondent that the self-styled Anikulapo who had cheated death had embarked on the path to make himself better in all ways before he was eventually killed.
Emir’s struggle for control of motor park in Osun
It was reliably gathered that Adeleke had promised to make Emir the chairman of the park upon his assumption in November 2022 after which he took over garages from the substantive leadership of NURTW led by Kazeem Oyewale known as Asiri Eniba, but he declined the offer, after which he was appointed as part of the Park Managers by the governor in January 2023.
A source disclosed that he declined to be the head of the Park because of his pursuit of another degree in Iree Polytechnic, hence he pushed his friend who knew more of the businesses of the park, Nurudeen Wakili, also known as Alowonle, as the head of the park.
Emir was appointed by Adeleke as part of Supervisory Disciplinary Committee member to supervise all the activities of the two sectors in the transport system namely Vehicles and Cycles. One of the leaders at the Old Garage Park who pleaded anonymity told The Nation that after Adeleke won his second term bid, Emir visited the park on August 17, 2026 to familiarise and create awareness for the people in the park about his interest to emerge as the new leader.
Facing resistance from the existing NURTW leadership, he routed his plan to take over as the new leader of the park through the the Adeleke government and he reportedly received the nod from the government to take over; a development said not to be acceptable to other power brokers within the system.
It was gathered that some people even in government were against the idea of him replacing Alowonle while others backed Emir because of his selflessness and the role he played during the last Osun State governorship election.
The conspiracy theory and failure of apaji (resurrection charm)
On Sunday, Emir ate yam and egg as breakfast, had a WhatsApp chat with some of his close allies that he would embark on a journey to Modakeke, the residence of the Commissioner for Transportation, Sesan Oyedele, for a peace meeting ahead of Monday when he would be announced as the head of Park System by the governor.
Emir arrived at the residence of the Transport Commissioner around 8:49 am where the peace meeting was held. Some assistants of Alowonle alleged that the commissioner summoned them to his residence and told the union leaders that the state government had endorsed Emir as the next state chairman.
Shortly after the meeting, which was attended by NURTW leaders and excos, they took photographs and departed the residence of the Commissioner. Gbedegesin said that while they were returning from the meeting, they branched to Mayfair Motor Park to eat but Emir was attacked and killed.
An eyewitness said: ‘They overpowered him and they confirmed him dead before they left around 3:15 pm. It was easy for them because Ile-Ife was not the terrain of Emir. He was chased to the point that he was killed. I saw uniformed men joining the assailants.
‘After they left, we rushed at him but he was bleeding. At a point, he jerked back to life while we were on our way to Osogbo. We took him to UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital for treatment but a member of his family told us that they should not administer any injection on him because he had apaji (resurrection power). The person told us to take him to his herbalist’s house for redemption rites.’
The source continued: ‘When we got there, they lighted a lamp of his redemption and it came up, suggesting that life was still in his body.
‘After the rites, the herbalist directed us to take him to hospital for care and we did. He was placed on oxygen from evening on Sunday and later died around 10:38 pm, after which he was moved to the mortuary.
‘All I can say is that despite Emir’s efforts to clean himself from his past, his past haunted him and killed him.
‘We have the notion that some people in authority whom Emir trusted betrayed him. Why the choice of Modakeke and Ile-Ife, a strange enclave for Emir, as the ground for peace meeting?’
Similarly, a medical doctor in Uniosun Teaching Hospital who pleaded not to be named said ‘Emir was brought to the hospital and was taken away by his gang on Sunday. But I observed that some components of his brain were already out when he was brought in. They used cloth to cover that portion.
‘He was deliberately attacked on his head to make it difficult for him to survive the attack. It seems they are scared of him to survive that attack, which is why they did more damage to his head and riddled him with bullets.
Reactions
When contacted, the Transport Commissioner Oyedele denied the claims that he was the one that summoned the meeting.
He said: ‘I was not at 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, September 14, but they said they could come to my house. They came around 9 a.m. on Sunday. When they got to my house, they told me that they had all agreed that Olalekan Emir should be the next chairman, and they wanted me to support them.’
He continued: ‘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 appealed to everyone to remain calm, assuring that everything will be settled by the authorities. Efforts made by The Nation to get reaction of the Alowonle faction of the NURTW on the matter were abortive as he did not pick his calls or respond to text messages sent to him via SMS and WhatsApp.
However, in a viral video, he denied any involvement in the murder of Emir, insisting that he was not part of the meeting and was in Osogbo on the day the self-styled Anikulapo was killed in Ile-Ife.
Olayemi Ojo, popularly known as Sibi, denied involvement in the murder of Emir, saying, ‘I don’t know Emir, I don’t know where he went to cause calamity of death upon himself. I was equally attacked at the scene.’
Reacting to the development, Adeleke, through his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, called for the arrest of the perpetrators on Sunday and the proscription of NURTW activities in the state.
The government had yet to make any official statement since the incident.