No fewer than four people were reportedly killed, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries, as wheelbarrow pushers clashed with residents from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning following the killing of a commercial tricycle rider in Ojoo, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.
This is as the Oyo State Government called for calm and assured residents that those involved in the crisis would be brought to justice.
The development, led traders in the area, alongside the popular Ojoo Terminal Bus Station overseen by the Park Management System, hurriedly shut down their businesses.
The crisis, which started on Tuesday night, followed an argument between a PoS operator, some wheelbarrow pushers and a commercial tricycle rider over a transaction.
An eyewitness said a man who was riding a tricycle went to a PoS at Strabag to make a withdrawal around 12a.m, adding that the PoS operator gave him the money, but while they were trying to complete the transaction, the network was bad.
“He had already collected the money and used it, but the PoS operator said the transaction had not gone through.
“The transaction became contentious after a network failure prevented confirmation of payment despite the customer having already collected the money.
“’This is the key to my tricycle. This is my tricycle. This is my phone. You can keep them. I’m not running anywhere,’ the tricyclist told the PoS operator.
“While they were arguing, the wheelbarrow pushers came, slapped him and stabbed him. He didn’t die immediately; he was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital but gave up the ghost this morning (Wednesday).
“This did not go down well with his fellow tricycle riders, friends, and some of his family members, who besieged the community,” NAIJAONPOINT explained.
Another eyewitness, Azeez Olamiposi, said, “The tricyclist had already collected the money and given it to the person he wanted to give it to. He kept telling them, ‘I can’t run away.
‘My tricycle is here. This is the key to it. This is my phone. Keep everything. I’m not running.’ But they didn’t listen. The wheelbarrow pushers started beating him and stabbing him.
“This morning, when some boys and other people came to find out what had really happened, the next thing we saw was people from the other side rushing there and starting a fight,” NAIJAONPOINT said.
Addressing the residents during an assessment visit on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde, the state Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, attributed the unrest to criminal elements and assured residents that those responsible would be prosecuted.
He said, “The civil unrest in this area has been instigated by criminal elements. Criminals are simply criminals, and criminality has no tribal identity. Our priority is to ensure the restoration of peace and stability here in Ojoo and, indeed, across every part of Oyo State.
“Oyo State has always been renowned for its peaceful coexistence, stability, progress and development. Despite the current situation, we remain committed to sustaining that legacy,” he said.
Makinde continued, “We have come to appeal to our people, particularly the youths, to give peace a chance.
“The government has already commenced profiling and investigating those involved, and anyone found culpable will face the full weight of the law, irrespective of whether they are Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or from any other ethnic group. Criminality is not the exclusive preserve of any tribe.”
He, therefore, assured residents that the government would uncover the remote and immediate causes of the crisis.
“As a government, we are determined to establish the root cause of this crisis. Once the facts are established, we will deal with the matter decisively.
“For now, however, we appeal to all young people, elders, and residents to vacate the area and allow the military and other security agencies to take full control of the situation.
“This will enable the security agencies to conduct a thorough assessment and determine exactly what transpired. If large crowds continue to gather or move around the area, it will hinder efforts to resolve the crisis effectively. Our objective is to achieve a lasting solution.
“Let us remain focused and united so that the efforts we are making to address these challenges will yield the desired results.”
He, therefore, assured residents that the state government would give the matter the highest priority.
“We ask our people to remain patient, as this matter will receive the same level of attention and commitment as the other security challenges confronting the state.
“A full investigation will be carried out, and those responsible will be identified, prosecuted, and brought before the courts,” he assured.
Following the deadly clash, the youths in the area, on Wednesday, warned the suspects to vacate the community or face the consequences.
This warning was handed down by the representative of the Ojoo youths, Azeem Olamiposi, who responded after the state Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, asked their representative to come forward and state their grievances.
Olamiposi said the wheelbarrow pushers should leave the community and relocate to Khaar in the same local government, as they have wreaked serious havoc in the area.
He insisted that their atrocities could not be tolerated anymore, warning that failure to heed the advice might lead to unpredictable action.
Olamiposi said, “We can’t like wheelbarrow pushers more than ourselves. Our parents, children, and property are here. We also want to appeal to the state government to clear those areas (makeshift structures) for us. There are too many of them there, and they have plenty of guns. We want them to leave this area for now.
“They should go back to Khaar in Akinyele. We have declared a curfew there today (Wednesday). Anything may happen later in the day. Ojoo is big, and we know ourselves. So, we are appealing to the state government to tell them to vacate that place now.
“Unlike before, if anything wanted to happen, our leaders would call us—the leaders of both the Hausa and Yoruba communities—and we would resolve it, but this one looks like they had planned it,” he lamented.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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