A commercial motorcyclist was allegedly stabbed to death by a member of a transport union tax-collection group, commonly referred to as agberos, following an argument over a ₦100 ticket in the Ijoko area of Ogun State, police and eyewitnesses told PUNCH on Wednesday. The fatal incident occurred on Tuesday night, sparking protests and significant disruptions to motorcycle transport services across several neighbouring communities.
According to accounts gathered by PUNCH Metro, the dispute began when the deceased, an okada rider from Nasarawa, clashed verbally with levy collectors over the demand for the ₦100 ticket, a routine daily fee levied on commercial motorcyclists. “They were fighting over a ₦100 ticket. It started as a small argument before it escalated on Tuesday night,” said a fellow rider who identified himself only as Rasheed, recounting the events leading up to the stabbing. “The person who was killed is one of the motorcyclists from Nasarawa.”
Rasheed also told journalists that two individuals were stabbed during the confrontation, though only one survived. “His colleagues are the ones now confronting agberos in Lambe, Ijoko and parts of Akute,” he added, referring to multiple areas where tensions have flared since the killing.
Another rider, Ganiyu, confirmed that tempers have remained high following the incident. “The man was stabbed to death by one of the agberos during an argument over the ticket. The agbero suddenly brought out a knife and stabbed him,” Ganiyu told PUNCH. “Some riders have refused to work since then, which is why there are fewer commercial motorcyclists around today.”
The killing prompted spontaneous protests from commercial motorcyclists in Lambe, Agbado and Akute, where riders confronted levy collectors and, in some cases, disrupted transport activities. Commuters were seen forced to walk to their destinations as the usual swarm of motorcycles was noticeably absent in the affected corridors.
A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, confirmed the incident occurred in Ijoko, within the Agbado-Sango axis, and clarified that the protests by riders followed the attack. “After the incident, the deceased’s colleagues in Lambe and Akute staged protests to express their anger,” the officer said, without disclosing whether any arrests had been made by law enforcement.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the Ogun State Police Command were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. The command’s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, had not responded to enquiries from PUNCH.
The violence underscores long-standing tensions between commercial motorcyclists and union levy collectors in parts of Ogun State. Riders have repeatedly protested against what they describe as extortionate fees and harassment, with past clashes, such as a 2023 confrontation over ticket fees that escalated into broader unrest, illustrating the fraught relationship between transport workers and revenue agents.
As the community reels from the latest outbreak of violence, the demand for accountability and greater safety measures has grown louder among okada operators and commuters alike. The death of the rider over a seemingly routine dispute has reignited debate over the legitimacy and conduct of informal transport tax collectors and the need for more structured regulation in the informal transport sector.
