Governor Ademola Adeleke’s courtesy visit to the Ataoja of Osogbo’s palace turned violent on Wednesday when gunfire broke out just outside the palace grounds, an incident that reportedly left one person dead in the nearby Ita-Olokan area and forced the governor’s security team to fire shots into the air and deploy tear gas to clear the scene.
The visit came shortly after Adeleke collected his Certificate of Return from the Osun State INEC office, following his re-election victory in the August 15 governorship election. He arrived at the palace in a convoy of roughly 20 vehicles alongside his nephew, Afrobeats star David Adeleke, known as Davido, to present the certificate to the monarch, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, and receive his blessing. Trouble reportedly began as that meeting was winding down, with gunshots ringing out around the palace grounds. The governor’s convoy was able to leave only after security forces intervened to disperse the crowd.
Davido moved quickly to distance himself and the governor from the incident, posting on X that the fight had nothing to do with them. “Lies! It was a fight outside the palace that had nothing to do with us! The people love excellency!” he wrote, pushing back specifically against reports characterizing the incident as an attack on the convoy.
Police offered a more specific account of how the clash started. DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, spokesperson for the State Police Command, said the trouble began when a known political thug identified as Adebayo Taoreed, also called “Small Rugged,” tried to force his way through Davido’s security detail to reach the singer. When he was resisted, Ojelabi said, the confrontation drew in more members of his gang, who attempted to overwhelm the security team, triggering an exchange of gunfire. The group briefly blocked the palace entrance before being overpowered, allowing the convoy to leave with Davido inside.
Other accounts of the incident differ on key details. Some eyewitnesses and outlets described armed attackers arriving in an unregistered Sienna bus through the Ita-Olokan area and opening fire on the convoy itself, with the shooting lasting an estimated 12 to 15 minutes before the assailants fled. Osun State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, confirmed that version of the incident but maintained that no casualties resulted, saying the governor’s security had successfully repelled the attackers.
That account stands in contrast to police reporting that the group later moved toward the Ayepe area, where they allegedly shot 60-year-old Tajudeen Yusuf in Ita-Olokan, the shooting linked to the reported death. Ojelabi confirmed that shooting and said an investigation is now underway. Police Commissioner (Election) Samuel Etaifo said resources are being deployed to track down and apprehend the suspect believed responsible.
As of the time of reporting, official accounts had not fully reconciled the conflicting descriptions of the incident, including whether Adeleke’s convoy was itself a target and whether the reported death in Ita-Olokan is confirmed to stem directly from the palace confrontation.
