The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has denied any connection with Olamilekan Oyeyemi, popularly known as ‘Emir Ajagungbade’, who was killed in Osun State over the weekend.
The union, in a statement issued by its Zone 2 headquarters in Osogbo, said it had conducted checks across its state, regional and national records and found that Oyeyemi was neither a registered card-carrying member nor a financial member of the organisation.
Comrade Olayioye Adesina, who issued the statement on behalf of the NURTW Zonal Council, expressed sympathy to the family, friends and associates of the deceased while rejecting suggestions that the killing was connected to internal disputes within the union.
The clarification comes amid public attention surrounding the killing and the Osun State Government’s decision to freeze NURTW operations in the state. The union said its activities had already been suspended before the August 15 gubernatorial election and that it complied with the directive.
The NURTW also drew attention to the circumstances surrounding the incident in the Ile-Ife area. According to the union, the killing occurred shortly after the state Commissioner for Transportation held a weekend meeting in Modakeke concerning the leadership of the Osun State Transport Management Scheme (OSTMS), a state-backed body separate from the NURTW.
The union maintained that video evidence from the scene supports its position that it was not involved in the incident. It therefore called on law enforcement agencies to carry out an independent investigation, identify those responsible for the killing and ensure that they face justice.
