A man who was declared missing after violence linked to the protracted boundary dispute between Oyo and Osun states has finally been found buried in a shallow grave, nearly two years after he was allegedly killed.
The discovery came after operatives of the Oyo State Police Command arrested a suspected gunman, Rabiu Yusuf, over a fresh shooting incident in the same troubled border community, reportedly leading to a confession that solved the long-standing disappearance of the deceased.
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Police said the victim, identified simply as Segun, was shot dead in 2024 during renewed violence between communities around Iyana-Offa, Iyanagbo, and Oke-Oba Parapo, located along the Oyo-Osun boundary near Iwo.
The Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, revealed the developments in an interview with journalists on Wednesday, saying the deceased’s body was concealed in a shallow grave, frustrating months of searches by security agencies and family members.
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The police also arrested a second suspect accused of supplying ammunition allegedly used in the killing, while three other suspects remain at large.
Mr Olayinka said the investigation reopened after Mr Yusuf was recently arrested in connection with another shooting arising from another communal clash.
He said investigators from the command’s Monitoring Unit interrogated the suspect, who allegedly confessed to participating in Segun’s killing and revealed where the body had been buried.
“An individual identified as Segun was killed in 2024 by this suspect and three others who are still at large. They shot him, concealed his body and buried him in a shallow grave,” Mr Olayinka said.
According to Mr Olayinka, security agencies had searched extensively for the victim after the killing.
“At that time, the Commissioner of Police, together with the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, visited the scene, but all efforts to locate the body of the deceased proved abortive, until recently when this same suspect shot at a man whom he alleged to have attacked him in the same community, bothering on land, and he was arrested,” he added.
He said the command later secured a court order to exhume the remains of the deceased after the suspect’s confession.
“The body was properly exhumed and deposited in the mortuary. The family has also identified it as that of their son whom they had been searching for for years,” the police spokesman said.
Mr Olayinka added that another suspect was arrested for allegedly supplying the ammunition used in the attack.
Suspect claims he acted after repeated attacks
Speaking to journalists while in police custody, Mr Yusuf admitted shooting the deceased but claimed the killing occurred due to recurring attacks arising from the communal conflict. According to him, residents of Iyana-Offa frequently attacked his community at Oke-Oba Parapo.
“The people from Offa used to come and attack us every time,” he said.
“I was sleeping that day when they came. About seven of them stayed at the entrance of our village while two entered on motorcycles.”
He alleged that one of the attackers recognised him and opened fire. “He kept shouting, ‘that is him, that is him,’ and shot me in the chest. I survived the attack. Later, they came again and that was why I shot him.”
The killing is linked to the long-running boundary disputes between communities in Oyo and Osun states, where disagreements over land ownership have repeatedly triggered violent clashes, destruction of property and loss of lives.
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The crisis has drawn repeated intervention from both state governments and security agencies.
In previous outbreaks of violence, senior government officials, including the Oyo deputy governor and top police authorities, visited the affected communities in efforts to restore peace.
Despite those interventions, tensions have persisted, with sporadic attacks continuing to threaten residents living along the disputed boundary.
Police said investigations are ongoing to apprehend the three remaining suspects allegedly involved in the killing and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
