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Osun police name three injured in Ilesa rally shooting; Amotekun operative still held

Officials say the state environment commissioner has been released on bail while an Amotekun Corps operative arrested with him remains in custody, and the cause of the August 8 shooting has not been determined.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 10, 2026, 11:55 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 11, 2026, 12:28 a.m. ET
The Police Command has identified the people injured in the shooting in on August 8, 2026, naming them as Tobi Ilesanmi, Wasiu Alanide and Aderemi Adedeji, according to PM News Nigeria's report of the command's account. The number hurt has been reported differently: people, according to PM News Nigeria, Vanguard and Sahara Reporters, and , according to Daily Post. PM News Nigeria attributed the figure to an as of , while Vanguard attributed it to . Accounts of the setting also differ: Sahara Reporters described a political procession or street rally held by members of the All Progressives Congress in West Local Government Area, PM News Nigeria described a political procession or rally of party members in ahead of the August gubernatorial election, Vanguard described an ongoing political procession in , and Daily Post described an All Progressives Congress rally in . The location is given as the of by PM News Nigeria, Daily Post and Vanguard, and at level by Sahara Reporters; the state is given as by Daily Post and Sahara Reporters and as by PM News Nigeria and Vanguard. The cause of the shooting has not been determined, and police have not said who fired. Ojelabi said that "immediately the incident was reported, our personnel moved to the scene and cordoned off the area before some exhibits were recovered, which included expended cartridges and Amotekun personnel caps," and that "investigation is still ongoing on the matter." The command said the inquiry "will be conducted professionally, transparently and without political bias, and that anyone found culpable will be made to face the full weight of the law." The Police Command, the State Criminal Investigation Department, the Intelligence Response Team and FID-IRT were listed among the responding agencies. On those detained, Sahara Reporters, Daily Post and PM News Nigeria reported that the Commissioner for Environment, named in reporting as Mayowa Adejoorin, was released on bail, while an Amotekun Corps operative arrested alongside him remains in custody; Vanguard reported the same outcome, giving the commissioner's name as Mayowa Anjorin. Ojelabi said the commissioner "was released around 1.00 p.m. on bail" and that "the Amotekun operative arrested alongside the commissioner and the gun found with him (the Amotekun operative) are still with us." Ojelabi also said the commissioner "was arrested at the scene and taken to the command for questioning as part of the investigation process," and separately that "it is true that the commissioner has been released on bail today, but I am yet to clear the situation with the Amotekun personnel arrested with him." No findings have been announced. Police urged political actors, their supporters and members of the public to remain calm, to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, and to avoid spreading unverified information capable of escalating tension.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 10, 2026, 11:55 p.m. ETFirst report

    Three to four injured in shooting at Ilesa political rally, Osun police say

    Between three and four people were injured in a shooting at a political gathering in Ilesa on Saturday 8 August 2026. The two outlets reporting the case do not agree on the number: pmnewsnigeria.com reported three injured as of Saturday, citing a press statement by the Osun State Police Command, while dailypost.ng reported four. Neither figure has been reconciled in either outlet's account, and the police have not published a revised count since Saturday's statement.

    The Osun State Police Command released the names of three of the injured: Tobi Ilesanmi, Wasiu Alanide and Aderemi Adedeji.

    Accounts of the occasion differ. pmnewsnigeria.com described a political procession or rally of party members in Ilesa ahead of the August gubernatorial election in Osun State, while dailypost.ng described an All Progressives Congress (APC) rally in Ilesa. The setting is context only: police have not stated a reason for the shooting, and the circumstances have not been determined. The city is in Osun State, given as "Osun State" by dailypost.ng and as "Osun" by pmnewsnigeria.com. Neither outlet locates the shooting more precisely than the city.

    DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, spokesperson of the Osun State Police Command, said: "Immediately the incident was reported, our personnel moved to the scene and cordoned off the area before some exhibits were recovered, which included expended cartridges and Amotekun personnel caps." He said that "Mr Adejoorin was arrested at the scene and taken to the command for questioning as part of the investigation process,". The Command said the investigation "will be conducted professionally, transparently and without political bias, and that anyone found culpable will be made to face the full weight of the law."

    The status of the man named by police is also reported differently: dailypost.ng reported he had been released on bail, while pmnewsnigeria.com reported him in custody. Ojelabi said: "It is true that the commissioner has been released on bail today, but I am yet to clear the situation with the Amotekun personnel arrested with him,". Neither outlet has since clarified which account stands, or what became of the Amotekun personnel he referred to.

    The Osun State Police Command, the FID-IRT and the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) are listed among the responding agencies.

    Police urged political actors, their supporters and members of the public to remain calm, to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, and to avoid spreading unverified information capable of escalating tension.

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Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 211 Aug 2026, 04:28current

    Sources now agree the commissioner was released on bail with the Amotekun operative still held; added Sahara Reporters' account, the Ilesa West rally detail, location-granularity conflict and a further Ojelabi quote.

  2. Version 111 Aug 2026, 03:55current

    First published.

  3. Version 111 Aug 2026, 04:03

    First published.

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