Police in Osun State have arrested Adedeji Saheed, 40, following a violent clash between rival factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Osogbo. The commissioner of police, Ibrahim Gotan, announced the arrest through the command's spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, at the state police headquarters on Tuesday.
Ojelabi explained that officers received a tip-off around 5:30pm on Monday evening about gunmen firing shots in the Oke-Ijetu area. A team from the Violence Crime Response Unit rushed to the scene to confront the suspects.
When police arrived, the armed men opened fire on the officers, triggering a gun battle that left three police operatives wounded. The confrontation ended with Saheed's arrest and the subduing of his associates.
Officers recovered a pump-action rifle from Saheed along with six spent cartridges, military camouflage, four vehicles, and four motorcycles adorned with charms. The police believe the arrested man belongs to the Wakili Nurudeen faction of the transport union.
During questioning, Saheed claimed he heads the NURTW branch at Idi-seke motor park and belongs to the Alowonle faction. He told reporters the group gathered at Ijetu to block what he described as an attempted takeover by the Kazeem Oyewale faction.
"We were called to the area by our leaders through our platform," Saheed said. Their superior, Alowonle, instructed them to wait for further directions while not physically present, he added.
Saheed insisted police arrived unexpectedly at the gathering. "Our guys started shooting at them; the police operatives responded and later arrested me with a pump action," he told reporters.
The suspect denied firing the weapon himself. According to him, a man named Sibi, who heads a motor park in Ile-Ife, brought the guns to the scene and distributed them among members of their faction.
"The gun belonged to Sibi; I didn't know how to shoot a gun. I held it when he wanted to wrap hemp," Saheed explained to reporters.
Police say Saheed is cooperating with investigators as they work to recover more weapons and track down remaining suspects.
Gotan used the opportunity to urge residents across Osun State to share reliable intelligence with police. He stressed that community cooperation remains critical to combating crime and criminal elements throughout the state.
