Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 14-year-old boy, Olapade Ezekiel, in Ilobu, Osun State, with police identifying one of the suspects as the alleged gunman.
The Osun State Police Command said investigations linked Salako Taofeek, 30, also known as Fenuso, to the fatal shooting during an incident at a palm-wine shop along Council Road, near the Irepodun Local Government Area headquarters in Ilobu.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the command said the incident occurred at about 3:30 pm on June 21, 2026.
According to the police, Ezekiel was at the shop with his parent and other customers when a group of people allegedly arrived in a Sienna bus and began shooting sporadically.
“The deceased was at the palm-wine shop with his parent and some customers when a group of persons allegedly arrived at the area in a Sienna bus and started shooting sporadically,” the statement read.
The teenager sustained a gunshot injury and later died, while another person, identified as Matthew John, popularly known as Mofoto, was also wounded. Ezekiel’s father, Olugbenga Olapade, reported the incident at the Ilobu Police Division at about 5 pm on the same day.
The police identified the five arrested suspects 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 command said sustained investigative efforts led to their arrests after the suspects allegedly moved between locations to evade capture. It added that the suspects confessed to participating in the crime, while further investigations identified Taofeek as the person who fired the fatal shot.
“Investigation further reveals that Salako Taofeek, a.k.a. Fenuso, was identified by other suspects as the person that actually fired the shot that eventually killed the deceased,” the statement added.
The police further alleged that Taofeek identified a man known as Alaagba as the suspected armourer and custodian of the firearm used in the incident. The individual remains at large, and the command said efforts were ongoing to apprehend him for possible prosecution.
The police stressed that investigations were continuing to establish the circumstances of the shooting and the individual roles of those involved, adding that the findings would be based on evidence and forensic examinations.
“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,” the statement said.
