The Osun State Police Command has arrested five suspects in connection with the killing of a 14-year-old boy, Olapade Ezekiel, during a shooting incident in Ilobu.
The command disclosed this in a statement on Friday by its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, saying investigations were ongoing to establish the circumstances of the incident and the roles of those involved.
According to the police, the incident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. on June 21, 2026, at a palm-wine shop along Council Road, beside the Irepodun Local Government Area headquarters in Ilobu. The teenager was reportedly at the shop with his father and other customers when a group of people allegedly arrived in a Sienna bus and began shooting sporadically.
Ezekiel sustained a gunshot injury and later died, while another person, identified as Matthew John, popularly known as Mofoto, was also injured. The boy’s father, Olugbenga Olapade, reportedly reported the incident to the Ilobu Police Division at about 5 p.m. that day.
The arrested suspects were identified as Saheed Kareem, 32, also known as Tanfiani; Ismail Yekeen, 24, aka Asumo Ayan; Abass Afeez, 32, aka SS Abass; Salako Taofeek, 30, aka Fenuso; and Barrister Abdulrauf Ogunshola.
The police said the suspects confessed to participating in the crime, adding that further investigations identified Taofeek as the person who allegedly fired the fatal shot. These claims remain subject to the ongoing investigation and judicial process.
The command also said Taofeek identified a man known as Alaagba as the alleged armourer and custodian of the firearm used in the incident. The suspect is reportedly at large, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend him.
The police assured the public that the investigation would be conducted professionally and impartially, with credible evidence and forensic findings used to establish the circumstances of the shooting and the individual roles of those involved.