By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Osun State Police Command has arrested a suspect, Oniyefa Olayemi, over the killing of four people during a violent clash between rival groups in Alapa village, along Toro Road, Ile-Ife.
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, disclosed this on Monday during a press briefing at the command headquarters, where he also announced the arrest of several suspects in separate armed robbery and burglary cases.
The Alapa incident was reportedly linked to a dispute between rival groups over control of a large cocoa farm in the community.
According to the police, a complainant from Odo Ogbe, Ile-Ife, reported the incident at the Police B Division, Modakeke, around 8:30 a.m. on October 5, 2026.
The command said about 10 armed men invaded the village between October 4 and 5 and opened fire, killing 40-year-old Toyin Olagbaju.
Police investigations later indicated that the violence involved two rival groups allegedly led by Awosunle Tosin, who is still at large, and Emmanuel Agunbiade, also known as Abore.
The confrontation reportedly resulted in the deaths of four people identified as Olagbaju, Agunbiade, Akeem and Ademola, also known as Small.
Detectives from the Homicide Section who visited the scene recovered two Dane guns, a small axe, 11 expended cartridges, one live cartridge, three empty AK-47 ammunition shells, two empty LAR rifle ammunition shells, an empty assault rifle ammunition shell and locally made charms.
Zungura said Olayemi was assisting the police with the investigation, while efforts were ongoing to arrest other suspects still at large and recover more weapons allegedly connected to the clash.
In another development, the command said it had arrested six suspects over an alleged armed robbery operation in which several mobile phones and a motorcycle were reportedly stolen.
One of the suspects, 27-year-old Olaiya Sunday, was arrested on September 24 during a stop-and-search operation at Akinlalu, Ipetumodu, along the Ile-Ife-Ibadan Expressway.
Police said Sunday was riding an unregistered red Bajaj Boxer motorcycle with another person, who escaped after two victims allegedly identified them as the men who robbed them of an unregistered ash-coloured TVS motorcycle and three phones.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Anti-Robbery Section, where the suspect allegedly admitted participating in the robbery with four other people.
The police said investigations led to the arrest of other suspects, including Agoro Kudus, Timileyin Idowu, Adekunle Ibrahim, also known as Oshodi, and Temitope Opeyemi.
Five mobile phones allegedly stolen in Osun were recovered, including an iPhone 13, iPhone 11, Infinix Smart 10, Infinix Smart 8 and an Itel Android phone.
The command also arrested Akintunde Mariam, 28, who was described as the girlfriend of one of the suspects, for allegedly using her National Identification Number to register SIM cards for members of the robbery gang.
Police said the suspects allegedly operated across Ibadan, Osun and Lagos states, with stolen motorcycles reportedly sold in Ibadan and phones disposed of in Lagos.
Meanwhile, the command said 32-year-old Adeosun Gbenga was arrested in Ifo, Ogun State, over the alleged burglary of a Jumia collection centre.
The collection centre was reportedly burgled on August 22, with phones and other electronic gadgets stolen.
Detectives from the Cybercrime Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Osogbo, reportedly recovered an iPhone 13, five Android phones, a tablet, two headsets, two watches and a charger.
The police said Adeosun allegedly confessed to the offence and that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other suspects connected with the burglary.
The Commissioner warned residents against resorting to violence or illegal firearms to settle disputes, particularly over land and other communal interests.
He urged members of the public to report suspicious activities and use lawful channels to resolve disputes.
