Oyo Government Begs Ibadan Youths to Stop Fighting After Bitter POS Argument Leaves People Dead in Ojoo

A busy commercial hub in Ibadan has been plunged into grief and heavy security lockdowns after a simple argument over a mobile money transaction turned deadly, sparking violent street clashes that left multiple people dead.

The heavy unrest broke out in the densely populated Ojoo area, located within the Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State. What began as a routine business interaction completely shut down local markets, forced terrified shop owners to lock up their stalls, and sent panicked residents fleeing for safety as rival groups took to the streets in anger.

According to eye-witness accounts, the crisis started when a commercial tricycle rider visited a local Point-of-Sale (POS) operator to withdraw some cash. An immediate argument erupted when a network failure delayed the digital confirmation of the transaction after the money had already changed hands. As tempers flared, an unidentified individual stepped into the dispute, slapping and stabbing the tricycle driver.

When news spread that the driver had died from his wounds, his furious colleagues, friends, and neighbors mobilized for revenge, turning the transport corridors into a chaotic battleground. The Oyo State government officially confirmed that at least two people lost their lives in the ensuing chaos, though local residents claim the real death toll could be as high as four.

To stop the situation from spiraling completely out of control, a combined task force of military personnel, anti-riot police units, and operatives from the Amotekun Corps were rapidly deployed to the neighborhood to clear the roads and enforce a tense peace.

Visiting the affected neighborhoods to assess the damage first-hand, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Bayo Lawal, spoke directly with anxious residents and youth leaders on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde. Lawal hit out at rumor mongers who were actively trying to reframe the tragedy as an ethnic war between Yoruba and Hausa communities, insisting that a street crime must never be given a tribal color.

“There was a civil confusion around this place, perpetrated by some criminal elements, having the tendency of snowballing into a tribal clash and we must nip it in the bud,” Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal announced during his community brief. “Criminals are criminals and there is no tribal colouration to criminality. We want to appeal to our people here, particularly the youth, that they should give peace a chance. We are investigating, and whoever is found culpable will face the law. Do not take the law into your own hands.”

Following the on-the-spot assessment, government officials held an emergency security meeting with community leaders from both the Hausa and Yoruba factions. The local leaders shook hands, explicitly stating that they have a long history of peaceful coexistence and would work together to prevent any further reprisal attacks.

The traditional institution also stepped in to calm nerves, with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, releasing a statement pleading with all sides to sheathe their swords. The monarch reminded residents that Ibadan has always been a safe, welcoming home for all Nigerians regardless of where they come from, urging the youth to let the police finish their investigations so that the family of the slain driver can get real justice.