Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has issued an Executive Order establishing a Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Coroner Inquest to investigate the deadly violence, shootings, and destruction recorded in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area.
The Executive Order, which takes effect on August 31, 2026, follows severe clashes that erupted on August 24 at the Naira and Kobo Junction and the local Motor Park and Garage area.
The panel is tasked with unravelling the causes of the unrest, identifying victims, establishing exact casualties, and pinpointing those responsible for the violence.
Chaired by Magistrate Ayokunle Shiyanbola, the multi-member panel includes legal experts, civil society figures, security veterans, and forensic professionals, with Mr. Abiodun Badiora serving as secretary. Other key panel members include retired AIG (Dr.) Aderanti C. Kayode, Mr. Dele Akintayo representing the Nigerian Bar Association, Comrade Wale Balogun representing civil society organizations, a community representative from Ikire, and Dr. Babatunde Afolabi as the medical and forensic representative.
According to a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, the panel holds broad powers to examine whether live ammunition was deployed by security personnel during the incident and whether tactical responses adhered to legal frameworks, rules of engagement, and human rights standards.
The panel is vested with statutory authority to summon witnesses, subpoena police and medical documentation, conduct site visits at crime scenes, and gather oral and written testimony. To safeguard the investigation’s integrity, Governor Adeleke ordered the immediate preservation of critical evidence, including police armory registers, ammunition logs, duty rosters, station diaries, operational communication logs, incident reports, autopsy findings, photographs, surveillance footage, and medical records.
Additionally, the state government formally requested the Inspector-General of Police, the Police Service Commission, and the Osun State Commissioner of Police to take interim administrative steps regarding operational officers whose continued command might prejudice public confidence or interfere with proceedings.
The panel is scheduled to hold its maiden sitting within seven days of inauguration and must submit its findings and recommendations within 30 days of its first session, unless granted an extension. The state government has invited eyewitnesses, victims’ families, transport workers, medical personnel, journalists, political actors, and civil society groups to submit memoranda and physical evidence.
Adeleke pledged that the inquiry will remain transparent and uncompromised, reassuring residents that any individual found culpable will face full legal prosecution regardless of political status, office, or institutional affiliation.
