By Faith Ajewole
Panic spread across the Ojoo axis of Ibadan on Wednesday after a violent disturbance involving Yoruba traders and Hausa scrap collectors left two people dead, disrupted commercial activities, and stranded commuters along the busy Iwo Road–Ojoo Expressway.
The violence occurred in the Ojoo area of Akinyele Local Government Area, barely five kilometres from the University of Ibadan. The area, a major commercial and transportation hub frequently visited by students to purchase affordable goods, board interstate vehicles and commute within the city, was thrown into panic as businesses shut down and motorists fled for safety.
How the Violence Began
According to eyewitness accounts, the crisis began on Tuesday night at about 11:00 p.m. after a disagreement involving a Yoruba commercial tricycle (Maruwa) operator, who also doubled as a local mechanic, and a Point of Sale (POS) vendor over a failed transaction.
The mechanic reportedly left his phone and tricycle keys with the vendor as collateral while the issue was being resolved.
Eyewitnesses, however, alleged that he was attacked shortly afterwards by a group of suspected Hausa scrap collectors.
The attackers reportedly pulled weapons, including a gun concealed inside a sack of collected scrap, chased nearby bystanders and repeatedly stabbed the mechanic, who later died from the injuries sustained.
An eyewitness who narrowly escaped the violence recounted how the incident unfolded.
“What happened in Ojoo started yesterday night at about 11 p.m. A Maruwa (tricycle) operator went to withdraw money from a POS. However, they said the money had not been reflected, but they claimed they had already given the money to him. Meanwhile, the Maruwa operator gave the POS vendor his tricycle key, along with his phone, so that they would know he could not run away. But in less than five minutes, they rushed to the place. They started attacking the young man, stabbing him repeatedly until he died. The young man has been dead since last night. The trouble started last night and escalated.”
The eyewitness further alleged that the violence intensified on Wednesday morning.
“This morning, before we arrived here from Central and Cabling, when we got here, the boys picked up guns and started shooting at us. A bullet hit a little boy who had gone to buy Indomie, and the child is now dead. Right now, the whole area is under gunfire. Bullets are flying everywhere. This is not a joke; bullets are everywhere. If it hadn’t been for God’s protection, wouldn’t I have died this morning? They even fired at me. They wanted to shoot me. Imagine. The police officers were there, but they just stood by watching with their arms folded. They didn’t do anything to protect us.”
Morning Escalation
By Wednesday morning, news of the mechanic’s killing had spread across the community, sparking outrage among local Yoruba youths.
The tension reportedly escalated into retaliatory confrontations as angry youths set properties ablaze and confronted members of the Hausa community.
The unrest forced traders to hurriedly close their shops, caused widespread panic and brought traffic along the Iwo Road–Ojoo Expressway to a standstill as numerous vehicles and trailers became stranded in heavy congestion. Reports also indicated that many northern residents sought shelter over fears of possible reprisal attacks.
There were also reports that a scavengers’ depot known locally as “Bolla” was set ablaze during the unrest.
However, the circumstances surrounding the fire and those responsible for it had not been independently verified at the time of this report.
Sources: Punch Newspaper, Channels Television, The Guardian Nigeria News, Newspeak Online, Sahara Reporters, Tribune.
