The Osun State Police Command has arrested five suspects over the alleged killing of a 14-year-old boy, Olapade Ezekiel, during a shooting incident in Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed the arrests in a statement on Friday, saying investigators were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and the roles allegedly played by each suspect.
Ezekiel was shot on June 21, 2026, at about 3:30pm at a palm-wine shop along Council Road, beside the Irepodun Local Government Area headquarters in Ilobu.
According to the police, the teenager was at the shop with his parent and other customers when a group of people allegedly arrived in a Sienna bus and opened fire sporadically.
Ezekiel sustained a gunshot injury and later died. Another person, identified as Matthew John, popularly known as Mofoto, was also wounded in the shooting.
The deceased’s father, Olugbenga Olapade, reportedly lodged a complaint at the Ilobu Police Division around 5pm on the day of the incident.
Following the report, police operatives commenced an investigation and launched efforts to track down the suspected assailants, who allegedly moved between different locations in an attempt to evade arrest.
Police said sustained investigative efforts eventually resulted in the arrest of five suspects identified as Saheed Kareem, 32, aka Tanfiani; Ismail Yekeen, 24, aka Asumo Ayan; Abass Afeez, 32, aka SS Abass; Salako Taofeek, 30, aka Fenuso; and Barrister Abdulrauf Ogunshola.
The command said the suspects confessed to participating in the crime during interrogation, while further investigation allegedly identified Taofeek as the person who fired the shot that killed Ezekiel.
“Investigation further reveals that Salako Taofeek, a.k.a. Fenuso, was identified by other suspects as the person who actually fired the shot that eventually killed the deceased,” the police statement said.
Taofeek also reportedly identified a man known as Alaagba, who remains at large, as the alleged armourer and custodian of the firearm used during the operation.
Police said efforts were ongoing to arrest Alaagba and bring him before the law.
The command, however, cautioned against reaching conclusions on the culpability of any of the suspects before the completion of the investigation and other legal processes.
It said the investigation was being conducted professionally and impartially, with credible evidence, forensic findings and other investigative procedures to determine what happened and the individual roles of those involved.
“The Command will rely on credible evidence, forensic findings and other investigative processes in determining the circumstances of the incident and the individual role of any of the people involved,” Ojelabi said.
The arrests come as police continue efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding the shooting and establish accountability for the death of the teenage victim.
