The Osun State Police Command has recorded several arrests following clashes and criminal incidents in Osogbo, as the command intensifies security ahead of the governorship election.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Gotan, disclosed this during a press briefing on Monday, 21 July 2026, at the Command headquarters.
CP Gotan said the Command responded swiftly on 20th July, 2026 to a protest by a faction of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, who alleged that their vehicles were not allowed into the garage by a dominant faction. The protest reportedly escalated into clashes between factions of the union in Osogbo.
Later that day, at about 5:30pm, a distress call was received that hoodlums were shooting sporadically at Oke-Ijetu Area, Osogbo.
“A team of Anti-Robbery and Violent Crime Response Unit personnel swung into action, on getting to the scene, the hoodlums suspected to be faction of one Wakili Alowonle, started shooting at the Police Operative where three security operatives sustained various degree of gunshot injury and are responding to treatment at the Hospital,” the CP said.
During the encounter, operatives arrested one suspect, Adedeji Saheed Opeyemi, 40 years. He allegedly confessed that Sibi informed him he received a call from Alowonle to meet at Oke-Ijetu Area, and that Sibi came with two pump action guns and handed one over to him.
Exhibits recovered include six expended cartridges, four vehicles, four motorcycles, military camouflage and criminal charms. The suspect is assisting police with investigation for possible arrest of others at large.
Speaking to journalists, Saheed Opeyemi, a Unit Chairman at Idi Seke, Station Road, claimed he was arrested while responding to a distress call regarding the violent takeover by the Asiri Eniba faction despite that the four year tenure of office for the current leadership was yet to be over.
He said union members gathered after receiving information on their group platform and that their leader, Comrade Nurudeen Alowonle, instructed them “to remain calm and not fight but be prepared in case the Eniba Faction came to attack them.” According to him, the leader told them “to wait till the Governor speaks on the matter.”
Opeyemi alleged that another union member known as Sibi from Ife handed a gun to him so he could wrap Indian hemp to smoke. “He claims he doesn’t know how to shoot and that he returned the Gun back to him,” he said.
He added that he did not know when the matter turned violent and complained that police should have gone to the faction that took over violently. He affirmed that he heard gunshots but could not confirm claims that police sustained injuries.
In another operation, the Command arrested three suspected motorcycle robbers. The suspects are Kamarudeen Babatunde, 39 years, Lekan Usman, 22 years, and Moses Oyebade, 40 years.
The brief fact of the case is that on 19/07/2026 at about 0730hrs, a distress call was received that a Bajaj motorcycle with Registration No. MEK 987 VU was snatched from a rider at Osunjela Area, Osogbo. Police traced the motorcycle to Modakeke and recovered it at about 0930hrs. Two suspects and their alleged receiver from Ondo town were arrested alongside the motorcycle.
The Command also arrested two suspected political thugs, Alawode Ridwan, 26 years, and Ajibade Ahmed, 33 years. The arrest followed a distress call on 16/07/2026 at about 1420hrs that the suspects were causing mayhem around Amadia Area, Osogbo.
CP Gotan said all suspects will be charged to court after the completion of investigation.
He urged the public to give prompt and credible information to the Police and to remain alert.
“Public should give prompt and credible information to the Police. Also, they should be at alert on what is happening around them and report any suspicious movement to the security agencies,” he said.
