The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the restoration of normalcy to the Strabag area of Ojoo in Ibadan following a violent disturbance triggered by an alleged attempted robbery and subsequent mob action that claimed two lives.
According to the Police, the incident began at about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, when four young men reportedly arrived at a Point of Sale (POS) outlet in the Strabag area aboard a commercial tricycle to purchase mobile data. During the transaction, the suspects allegedly attempted to dispossess the POS operator of his mobile phone.
The police account of the incident is different from that of the eyewitnesses, who alleged that the deceased Yoruba man was wrongly murdered by the Hausa-Fulani group.
The victim was said to have raised an alarm, attracting residents who chased the suspects. While three of the suspects escaped, one of them, identified as Abeeb Olajide, was apprehended by the mob and allegedly beaten severely before police officers intervened and rescued him.
The suspect was initially taken to a nearby medical facility before being referred to the State Hospital, Moniya, where he was confirmed dead while receiving treatment.
The incident reportedly heightened tension within the community as aggrieved groups mobilised for a reprisal attack, leading to a breakdown of law and order in parts of the Strabag axis in the early hours of Wednesday.
In response, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, ordered the immediate deployment of operational and tactical teams to the affected area.
The Police Command said additional personnel from various formations across the state were drafted to reinforce security due to the scale of the disturbance and the presence of armed groups.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun.
The coordinated security response, according to the Command, successfully restored peace, prevented further escalation of the violence and ensured that no additional lives were lost during the disturbance.
However, the Police disclosed that another resident, identified as Kamorudeen Abdulrasheed, later died in hospital from injuries allegedly sustained during the unrest. Authorities said investigations are ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding his death.
The Command also confirmed that six makeshift shops used for storing picked and condemned plastic materials were razed during the violence.
Officials of the Oyo State Fire Service were said to have responded promptly to the scene, containing the fire before it spread to nearby buildings.
Meanwhile, four suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, where detectives have commenced a comprehensive investigation into the alleged attempted robbery, the mob killing, the ensuing violence and other related offences.
The Police condemned the resort to jungle justice, warning residents against taking the law into their own hands under any circumstances.
The Command urged members of the public to hand over suspects to law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and prosecution rather than engaging in mob action.
It also appealed to community leaders, youth groups and other stakeholders to remain calm and prevent criminal elements from exploiting the incident to incite ethnic or communal violence.
The Police assured residents that adequate security personnel had been deployed to the Strabag area and other strategic locations across Ibadan to maintain law and order.
The early report by the Oyo State government confirmed that four people were killed and several others injured during a violent clash between rival groups, including wheelbarrow pushers, in the Ojoo area of Akinyele Local Government Area of the state.
The government also assured residents that those responsible for the violence would be arrested and prosecuted.
The clash, which began on Tuesday night and continued into Wednesday morning, reportedly followed the killing of a commercial tricycle rider during a dispute over a Point-of-Sale transaction.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Iya Kadijat, said the tricycle rider had withdrawn money from a POS operator, but the transaction could not be confirmed because of poor network service.
She said, “Around 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 midnight, a man riding a Maruwa went to a POS at Strabag because he wanted to make a withdrawal.
“They 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.
“He said, ‘This is the key to my Maruwa. This is my Maruwa. This is my phone. You can keep them. I’m not running anywhere.’
“While they were arguing, somebody suddenly came, slapped him, and stabbed him. He was rushed to the hospital but died yesterday morning.”
She added that the rider’s death angered his colleagues, friends and relatives, who mobilised to the area, leading to the violence.
