The National Union of Road Transport Workers has formally distanced itself from Olamilekan Oyeyemi, the high-profile transport figure known as ‘Emir Ajagungbade’, who was murdered in Osun State over the weekend.

In a statement issued from its Zone 2 headquarters in Osogbo, the transport union expressed shock at Oyeyemi’s killing but firmly rejected widespread speculation linking his death to internal union feuds or its membership ranks.

Comrade Olayioye Adesina, writing on behalf of the NURTW Zonal Council, said internal checks across state, regional, and national registries confirmed Oyeyemi was never a card-carrying or financial member of the organisation.

“While we sympathise with the family, friends and associates of the deceased over this unfortunate incident, we wish to make it categorically clear that the deceased was not in any way associated with our union in Osun State,” Adesina said.

The clarification follows mounting public scrutiny and the state government’s decision to freeze union operations across Osun. The NURTW noted that its activities had already been officially suspended prior to the 15 August gubernatorial election, a directive it claims to have strictly observed.

The union instead directed attention toward the political context surrounding the killing in the Ile-Ife area.

According to the statement, the incident occurred shortly after the state Commissioner for Transportation convened a weekend meeting in Modakeke to address the leadership of the Osun State Transport Management Scheme (OSTMS), a state-backed body distinct from the NURTW.

Asserting that video evidence from the scene clears the union of any complicity, the NURTW called on law enforcement agencies to conduct an independent investigation and bring those responsible to justice.