Nigerian Military Rescues Ikorodu City Players, Officials Held Hostage For 80 Minutes By Shooting Stars Fans In Ibadan
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Monday afternoon, Samuel Bamisebi, spokesperson for Ikorodu City FC, confirmed that it was the intervention of military personnel that dispersed the angry crowd and evacuated those trapped in the dressing rooms.
New details have surfaced on how angry Shooting Stars fans held players, coaches, referees, and journalists hostage for over an hour at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan after a goalless Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) match against Ikorodu City on Sunday.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Monday afternoon, Samuel Bamisebi, spokesperson for Ikorodu City FC, confirmed that it was the intervention of military personnel that dispersed the angry crowd and evacuated those trapped in the dressing rooms.
“As you saw in the viral video, the players, coaches and officials were held hostage inside the dressing room after the game. Even the referee and other officials, as well as some journalists. So, the management later called for reinforcement, and it took the intervention of some military personnel deployed before everyone was able to leave. The military came to disperse the crowd, and everyone left unharmed,” Bamisebi said.
He explained that although no players or officials sustained physical injuries during the ordeal, fans of Ikorodu City were not as lucky.
“It was our fans that were attacked. Their bus was destroyed, and one of them was injured during the process. Many of them lost their phones. When they took their phones out to record what happened, they got snatched, and they lost them,” he said.
Bamisebi also addressed speculations that the stadium lights were intentionally turned off to intimidate the visiting team.
“On the issue of the light being switched off, I think it was not targeted at us. The lights were switched off throughout the entire stadium, not just in our dressing rooms. None of our players and officials were injured,” he said.
He added that they were trapped for approximately 80 minutes before military operatives arrived.
“We were held hostage for about 80 minutes before the intervention of the military. The management will decide the next step. I can’t speak on what will be on the resolution for now, but there will be an internal meeting to decide that,” he said.
SaharaReporters on Sunday night reported that Shooting Stars supporters descended into chaos moments after the final whistle of the NPFL Match Day 32 fixture, infuriated by their team’s inability to secure a home win. The match ended 0-0.
The disturbing hostage situation, captured in videos obtained by SaharaReporters, showed Ikorodu City players and officials trapped in darkness inside the dressing room, using mobile phone lights for visibility after officials allegedly cut power to the stadium.
“I have heard similar stories before in the NPFL, but this is my first time experiencing it,” one official said in the video, visibly shaken.
“We are being held hostage right here at the Lekan Salami Stadium after Ikorodu City forced Shooting Stars into a goalless draw. We are held hostage in the dressing room. The light has been switched off. See the players using their phones. We cannot go out, both the players and the officials. The team bus has been vandalised,” he narrated.
Additional footage showed the Ikorodu City team bus severely damaged, while at least one fan was reportedly injured during the violence.
As of the end of Match Day 32, Shooting Stars remain 4th on the league table with 48 points from 32 matches, while Ikorodu City sit just behind with 46 points from 31 games.
