The Olojudo of Ido-Ayegunle in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, Oba Timileyin Ajayi, has said four suspects linked to the killing of villagers in the community have been arrested.
He added that the development marked a critical step towards justice.
“I want the world to know that we have arrested the people behind the killing,” the monarch said in a statement on Monday.
Ajayi disclosed that an Osun State Magistrate Court sitting in Osogbo ordered that the four suspects be remanded at the Ilesha Correctional Centre for 30 days over alleged murder.
According to him, the suspects were remanded following a request by the police, who informed the court that investigations into the case were still ongoing.
He added that the order was made by Magistrate Adekanmi Adeyeba, pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.
Recall that in an interview with PUNCH Weekend Titles, Ajayi alleged that on June 15, 2025, the suspects, alongside others still at large, carried out violent attacks that led to multiple deaths in Ido-Ayegunle.
The victims were identified as Engineer Agboola Sunday, Kingsley Nwagbana, Rasak Adegoke and Olayinka Sodiq.
He said the attackers used guns, cutlasses and knives, adding that some victims were allegedly mutilated while others were burned alive.
Ajayi described Ido-Ayegunle as a community “bleeding” from the loss of innocent lives, including fathers and youths who should have been protected rather than killed.
“Innocent life has been taken in Ido-Ayegunle—fathers, youths and people who deserve protection, not death. The killings have brought fear, grief and unanswered questions into my land,” he said.
The traditional ruler stressed that the community was not seeking revenge but justice, which he described as a thorough investigation, accountability and assurance of safety for residents.
“We are not asking for revenge. We are asking for justice. Justice means a proper investigation. Justice means accountability for those responsible. Justice means assurance that our community can sleep without fear,” Ajayi said.
He called on security agencies, government authorities and leaders within and outside Nigeria to intervene and ensure lasting peace, noting that rural communities also deserved protection.
“The lives of rural communities matter. The lives of Ido-Ayegunle people matter. Let justice speak for the dead, protect the living and restore peace to our land,” he added.
Oba Ajayi also alleged repeated attacks on the community, accusing neighbouring Esa-Oke of aggression and insisting that the people of Ido-Ayegunle had a right to live on their ancestral land.
“I don’t want the Esa-Oke people to continue killing us. We have every right to live on our ancestral land. We have proof that this land belongs to us,” he said.
The monarch assured residents that peace would return, even as he vowed to continue pressing for justice.
“I want to assure my people that, by God’s grace, peace will be restored. Life will return to normal. We are still calling for justice, and we will not stop until justice is served,” he said.
Appealing to the media and the international community, Ajayi said the victims were ordinary, peaceful people who were killed while trying to earn a living.
“All these people were innocent. Some were indigenes of Ayegunle, others came to work. They were all killed in cold blood,” he said.
He identified the four victims as a plumber, a tiler, an investor and a bricklayer, noting that one of them was a 65-year-old investor who had come to establish a poultry farm in the community.
“Another was a bricklayer working for me on a community project. Because I am a new king, I started some projects for my people, and they killed the worker on that project. Most of those murdered were workers who came simply to work,” Ajayi added.
He revealed that the case was adjourned to February 22, 2026, pending legal advice from the DPP.
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