Former Osun NURTW Unit Chairman Murdered in Osogbo
Tension has gripped the Osun State capital following the brutal killing of Kazeem Oyewole, a former unit chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), by suspected hoodlums.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon at the Elelede Junction area of Osogbo. Oyewole, who served as the chairman of the NURTW Aregbe unit between 2018 and 2022, was reportedly attacked while travelling on a motorcycle.
According to eyewitness accounts, the violence erupted when a group of hoodlums, who had stationed themselves at the junction to extort money from passersby under the guise of raising funds for a carnival, intercepted the motorcycle conveying the former union leader.
A resident who witnessed the scene from a distance stated, “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.”
The witness added that the attackers escalated the violence, using heavy stones to smash the victim’s head, killing him 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 source revealed.
The killing has sparked panic across the metropolis, with business owners hurriedly closing their shops. A trader at Elelede Junction, identified simply as Basira, confirmed that NURTW members who arrived later identified the victim as Oyewole.
The unrest quickly spread to major motor parks in Old Garage and Aregbe, where associates of the deceased were seen searching for the perpetrators, raising fears of reprisal attacks among commuters and residents.
Confirming the incident, the Spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, stated that operatives had been deployed to the scene and an investigation was underway.
“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. Another name unknown. Investigation has commenced,” Ojelabi said.
He further assured the public that the police are monitoring the situation at the motor parks to prevent further breakdown of law and order. This latest violence comes just months after the killing of another union leader, Adeboye Ademoroti, who was shot dead by gunmen in Ilesa in November 2025.
