Senator Lere Oyewumi has rejected the police account of the deadly incident at Naira and Kobo Junction in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, describing it as a one-sided account aimed at shielding police officers allegedly involved in the killings, Peak Newspaper reports.
Oyewumi spoke at a press conference organised alongside families of those killed and wounded during the incident on Monday, August 24, 2026.
The senator said the purpose of the briefing was to set the record straight and challenge what he described as an attempt by the police to shift blame to the victims while allegedly protecting the aggressors.
“We watched the police version with sadness and we reject in totality the attempt to twist the fact of the incident in a bid to exonerate the police officers who are involved in the fatal extra-judicial killings,” Oyewumi said.
He questioned the process through which the police arrived at its account of the incident, arguing that people who were present at the scene were not given an opportunity to present their own accounts before the police reached its conclusion.
“As people directly affected by the sad incident, we take exception to the one-sided investigation purportedly effected by the police,” he said.
According to the senator, it was “surprising and shocking” that the police allegedly failed to hear from those present at the palace before concluding its investigation.
He further alleged that some suspects were subjected to pressure to make what he described as false confessional statements.
Oyewumi also raised several questions about the events that preceded the violence at the Naira and Kobo garage.
He questioned why the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was at the motor park in the first place if the area was peaceful at the time of the incident.
“The Naira and Kobo garage was peaceful as at the day of the incident. So what was the DPO doing at the Naira and Kobo garage?” he asked.
The senator also linked the DPO’s presence at the park to what he described as a reported vow by APC thugs to take over motor parks in Osun State.
“The storming of the park by the DPO came on the day the APC thugs vowed to take over Osun motor parks. Is the DPO at the park to assist the takeover of the park?” he questioned.
He also demanded an explanation for the alleged use of firearms by police officers at a location he maintained was initially peaceful.
“Why did the DPO and his men launch sporadic shooting when the park was peaceful and without any confrontation?” Oyewumi asked.
He further challenged the possibility of unarmed civilians overpowering and disarming armed police officers.
“How is it possible for unarmed civilians at motor parks to disarm six fully armed policemen?” he queried.
Oyewumi subsequently accused the police of failing to conduct a proper investigation, alleging that the process was being influenced by an attempt to protect the DPO and other officers.
“We make bold to say that the police has not conducted any investigation because it is desperate to protect the DPO,” he said.
He maintained that the alleged involvement of the DPO and other officers must be properly investigated and should not be ignored.
The senator also rejected what he described as an attempt to link him to the violence in Ikire.
Oyewumi said that, rather than being involved in the incident, he intervened to help calm the situation and prevent it from escalating into wider communal violence.
“As a community leader, Senator Oyewumi actually assisted the police to calm the situation that would have degenerated into communal warfare,” the statement said.
He said he appealed to residents of Ikire not to take the law into their own hands and also assisted the Commissioner of Police in navigating areas affected by the tension.
He therefore described attempts to associate him with the violence as “uncharitable”, particularly allegations that suspects were being pressured to make such a connection.
“To now turn around to label the Senator is uncharitable. To pressure an alleged suspect to make such a linkage is even more unethical and a brazen attempt to muddle up the truth,” he said.
Oyewumi declared that he had no involvement in the incident and maintained that his intervention helped prevent further escalation.
“We declare that Senator Oyewumi is not in any way involved in the matter. His intervention saved the day as it prevented Ikire from being engulfed in far more serious communal reprisal attacks,” he said.
The senator and the affected families called for an independent investigation into the incident, insisting that the police should not be allowed to investigate allegations involving its own officers without independent oversight.
“We therefore call for independent investigation,” Oyewumi said.
He also called on the Osun State Government to expedite the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the Ikire incident and other related matters.
“We call on the state government to fast track the setting up of the commission of enquiry to look into this and other related issues,” he added.
Oyewumi demanded justice for those who lost their lives or were injured during the incident, insisting that those responsible must be held accountable.
“We demand justice for those unjustly killed and maimed,” he said.
The senator concluded by stressing that the police must not be allowed to escape responsibility if any of its officers are found culpable.
“The police cannot and must not be allowed to lie its way out of the culpability of one of its DPO and officers,” Oyewumi said.
