Tension has remained high in the Ojoo area of Ibadan, Oyo State, following a violent clash involving Yoruba traders and Hausa scavengers that reportedly claimed the lives of a commercial tricycle operator and a young boy who was allegedly hit by a stray bullet while on his way to buy noodles.
The unrest disrupted commercial activities in the area, forcing many traders to shut their shops as gunfire echoed across parts of the busy district.
According to reports, the incident began around 11 p.m. on Tuesday when a tricycle operator visited a Point of Sale (POS) outlet to withdraw money.
Witnesses said an argument broke out after the transaction allegedly failed to reflect, despite the POS operator insisting that the cash had already been handed over.
The rider reportedly left his tricycle key and mobile phone with the POS operator as assurance that he would return while the issue was being resolved.
Shortly afterward, a group of suspected Hausa scavengers allegedly arrived at the scene and attacked the tricycle operator, stabbing him multiple times. He reportedly died from the injuries.
The killing sparked anger among residents, with the situation deteriorating into violent confrontations by Wednesday morning.
An eyewitness who claimed to have survived the attack recounted the incident.
He said, “What happened in Ojoo started since 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 reflected, but they claimed they had already given the money to him.
“Meanwhile, the Maruwa operator gave the POS vendor his tricycle key together 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 from last night and escalated,” he said.
He added, “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 little boy who had gone to buy Indomie was hit by a bullet, 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.”
The witness alleged that security personnel at the scene failed to intervene despite the exchange of gunfire, accusing police officers of standing by while residents came under attack.
As the violence intensified, fear spread across Ojoo, prompting residents and traders to flee while businesses closed for safety.
The Oyo State Deputy Governor later visited the area in an effort to restore calm and prevent further violence.
During the visit, Yoruba traders and community leaders urged the state government to relocate the Hausa scavengers from Ojoo, arguing that they no longer felt safe.
One of the community representatives told the Deputy Governor, “We don’t want them to come and kill us at night while we are sleeping. We don’t want them living in our community. Tell them to leave. Ojoo is a commercial hub.”
