Five officials of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) were injured and several operational vehicles damaged during a violent clash at Soka Junction, Ibadan, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, during enforcement of the state’s QR-coded jacket policy for commercial motorcyclists.
The incident disrupted traffic in the area and highlighted growing resistance to the government’s ongoing regulatory exercise for okada riders.
The enforcement team, constituted by the Executive Chairman of OYRTMA, Major Adesagba Adekoya (retd.), began operations earlier in the day after departing the agency’s administrative headquarters around 8:15 a.m. for the Olodo axis.
During the early stage of the operation, officials apprehended several non-compliant riders and carried out compliance checks in Orita-Aperin and Olomi without major incident.
The situation, however, turned violent around 11:10 a.m. when the team arrived at Soka Junction and observed widespread non-compliance with the QR-coded jacket directive. While officials were engaging riders and educating them on the policy, tension reportedly escalated after resistance emerged within the park.
The confrontation later degenerated into violence as some aggrieved riders allegedly attacked the officials with stones and wooden planks. One officer was reportedly hit in the chest, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Operatives of the Amotekun Corps, who accompanied the team as security support, were also attacked and temporarily disarmed during the clash.
The violence forced the enforcement team to withdraw from the scene. In the aftermath, four operational vehicles belonging to the agency were said to have been severely damaged.
Three of the injured personnel were reported to be receiving treatment in hospital, while others with minor injuries were attended to.
Reacting to the incident, OYRTMA Chairman, Major Adesagba Adekoya (retd.), condemned the attack, describing it as a direct assault on government authority.
He said the officials were carrying out a lawful duty aimed at improving security, accountability and proper regulation of commercial motorcycle operations across Oyo State.
Adekoya maintained that the QR-coded jacket policy is designed to enhance public safety, curb criminal activities and establish a reliable means of identifying commercial motorcyclists.
He added that the enforcement exercise would continue despite the attack and assured that those responsible would be identified and prosecuted.
Security agencies have since been notified, while investigations into the incident are ongoing.
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