The tense Southwest derby between Shooting Stars and Ikorodu City ended in a goalless draw on Sunday at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, but the match took a dangerous turn afterward. In a shocking incident, irate fans of Shooting Stars Football Club (3SC) reportedly held Ikorodu City players and officials hostage, leaving the visitors in fear for their safety.
According to several reports, chaos ensued after the final whistle, with 3SC supporters damaging the Ikorodu City team bus and injuring some of their traveling fans. The violence didn’t end there as veteran broadcaster Charles Anazodo shared that the match referee was physically assaulted by the angry fans, further escalating the situation.
Anazodo reported via his social media account: “Fans and officials of Ikorodu City FC have been held hostage by 3SC fans since 7:30 pm when the game ended. Reports from Ibadan say the referee was manhandled, and the team bus of the away team was destroyed. The team is currently huddled together in the dressing room alongside the match officials, with all the lights in the facility switched off.”
The ordeal lasted nearly 90 minutes before Ikorodu City’s players and officials were finally rescued. It was the timely intervention of military escorts, arranged by an Oyo State Government official, that helped the away team safely exit the stadium. Mike The Pundit, a popular NPFL enthusiast, also reported, “After spending precisely 80 minutes in the dressing room without lights, the Special Adviser to the Oyo State Governor on Security provided a military escort for the away team to exit the stadium.”
Suleiman Adebayo, a director of Ikorodu City, known as Pooja, later confirmed the team’s safe departure from the stadium. “Soldiers rescued Ikorodu City players and officials from Ibadan after the draw with Shooting Stars. Thank God for safety. It was hell,” Adebayo said.
This unsettling incident casts a shadow over what was supposed to be an exciting derby and has left many questioning the safety of players and officials during such high-stakes encounters. The goalless draw itself dealt a significant blow to Shooting Stars’ hopes of continental qualification, as they remain fourth in the Nigeria Premier League standings with 48 points after 32 matches. Ikorodu City, on the other hand, is in sixth place with 46 points, still in the race for a top-four finish.
As the dust settles on the chaos in Ibadan, many are calling for stronger measures to protect players, officials, and fans from the dangerous escalation of violence at Nigerian football matches.
