By John Dike, Osogbo
Detectives from the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of Osun State Police Command have launched a manhunt for suspected armed political thugs responsible for the killing of a 14-year-old boy, Ezekiel Olapade, in Ilobu, Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State.
The teenager was reportedly shot dead on Sunday during a violent attack allegedly carried out by a group of armed men under circumstances that are still being investigated.
The incident occurred at a palm wine shop owned by the victim’s mother, located opposite the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat in Ilobu.
According to eyewitness accounts, the suspected hoodlums, allegedly led by one Saheed, popularly known as “Tanfeani,” stormed the area and opened fire indiscriminately, leaving the teenager dead and another person injured.
In a video obtained by our correspondent, the bereaved father narrated how the assailants, who he claimed arrived in a vehicle branded with the insignia of one of the governorship candidates in the state, unleashed terror on those present.
“I was at my wife’s shop with my son and some customers when the thugs in an AMBO-branded vehicle came,” he said.
“Initially, they attempted to enter the council secretariat, but when they saw a man wearing a yellow cap at my wife’s shop, they redirected their attention and started shooting at the shop. The man wearing the yellow cap was hit and has been taken to the hospital.”
He explained that pandemonium broke out as everyone at the scene fled for safety.
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“My wife fell while trying to escape and my son went back to help her. It was in the process that he was shot. I didn’t even know he had been hit. I thought he had escaped like others. After searching for him for hours, I later received information that he had died and his body was found in a nearby bush,” he said amid tears.
The distraught father alleged that one of the attackers who shot his son was identified as Saheed “Tanfeani” and claimed that the gang comprised about six armed men.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the perpetrators had fled the scene, adding that the police had commenced a full-scale manhunt to bring them to justice.
“The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon adjacent to the Irepodun Local Government Secretariat in Ilobu,” Ojelabi said.
“One Saheed, alias Tanfeani, came with other thugs and started shooting. In the process, a bullet hit one Ezekiel Olapade, aged 14, who died on the spot.”
The police spokesman further disclosed that another person sustained gunshot injuries and is currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
“The identity of the injured victim is yet to be established. The suspected perpetrators are still at large, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend them,” he added.
The killing has heightened tension in Ilobu and surrounding communities, with residents calling on security agencies to swiftly arrest those responsible and ensure that justice is served.
Meanwhile, the police have assured members of the public that no effort would be spared in tracking down the suspects and restoring calm to the area.
