The
assassination of Toba Ajiboye, the Organising Secretary of the Lagos State
National Union of Road Transport Workers, has reopened old wounds and revived
questions about the violent underworld of motor park politics. In this gripping
feature, Daniel Ayantoye traces the rise and fall of the controversial
street warlord and the alleged betrayal that led to his death
Tears flowed freely on Tuesday as hundreds of family
members, colleagues, friends and supporters gathered in Fadeyi, Lagos, to bid
farewell to the Lagos State Organising Secretary of the National Union of Road
Transport Workers, Toba Ajiboye, popularly known as Toba Ijaya.
Like
prominent leaders of the NURTW including Femi Jplum, Kunle Poly, MC Oluomo, and
Mustapha Sego, Ajiboye was regarded as one of the influential figures in the
transport union hierarchy. However, his journey ended not in the bustle of a
motor park, but in a burial attended by mourners struggling to come to terms
with his violent death.
Viral
videos showed an emotional crowd surrounding his remains, many overcome with
grief as they paid their last respects.
How Ajiboye fell
Ajiboye,
also known as Ikoko Ajegunjeran (the
hyena that crushes bones and meat) or Baba
Esu (Satan’s father), did not die like a normal death.
His
death arrived with the precision of a carefully planned execution: a hail of
bullets, panicked screams and fleeing bystanders.
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He was
ambushed on Sunday, July 12, by unidentified gunmen in the Fadeyi area of
Lagos, and his vehicle riddled with bullets.
Ajiboye
later succumbed to his injuries, which brought a sudden end to the life of one
of the union’s most powerful leaders.
For a
man whose name inspired fear across motor parks and political circles, the
manner of his killing echoed the violent settling of scores more often
associated with ruthless cartels on the streets of Lagos.
Many
observers noted that, in the end, the empire he spent years building could not
shield him from the violence that had long shadowed his rise.
It was
said that his final moments bore the unmistakable signature of an execution
designed not merely to kill but to send a message.
His
death ended a reign that had earned him loyal followers, powerful allies and
dangerous enemies alike.
A betrayal?
Speaking
exclusively to sources close to the slain Ajiboye, Saturday PUNCH gathered details that paint a picture of
what appears to have been a coordinated plot.
Punch’s
correspondent learnt that a bricklayer, identified simply as Oke, who had
previously worked for the slain 43-year-old union secretary, allegedly
monitored his movements and passed information to the gunmen who ambushed and
killed him along the Ikorodu Road corridor.
A
source close to the deceased said Oke was someone Ajiboye trusted and employed
for construction work.
According
to him, Oke tracked his movements while feeding real-time information to those
said to be waiting to strike.
“On
Sunday, Toba came to see some elderly people and parked outside. The informant
took pictures of the front and back of his vehicle and sent them to people
waiting on the expressway.
“He
also sent a voice note informing them that Toba was alone with his driver and
would soon come out. Toba came out and even gave him N5,000, not knowing that
he was there to monitor him,” the source said.
He
further claimed that detectives later arrested Oke and his wife.
“The
bricklayer was arrested the following night. That was when we learnt what
happened. They also identified another person called Ogere, who participated,
but he has fled,” the source added.
Saturday PUNCH also learnt that another individual, identified
simply as Suko, and alleged to have financed parts of the operation, had fled
out of Nigeria.
Adding
another layer to the unfolding investigation, a voice note played to Punch’s correspondent
by the source appeared to capture a conversation in which an unidentified
caller informed another person that Ajiboye was about to leave the premises he
had gone to visit.
The
voice note suggested his movements were being monitored until moments before
the fatal ambush.
How attack happened
According
to another source, the operation began shortly after Ajiboye left his residence
on Ereko Street, Fadeyi.
Unaware
that he was under surveillance, the transport union leader set off with only
his driver.
The
source said the assailants tailed the vehicle, waiting for the right moment to
strike.
“The
driver noticed another vehicle trying to overtake them and mentioned it to
Toba. He said it looked like the occupants were in a hurry and wanted to pass.
Toba told him to allow them through, not knowing that they were trying to
position themselves for the attack,” the source said.
Within
moments, the attackers swerved across their vehicle, blocking its path before
unleashing a volley of bullets at the side where Ajiboye was seated.
He
sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where he died on
Tuesday, July 14.
Community mourns
When Saturday PUNCH visited Fadeyi on
Wednesday, an uneasy calm hung over the neighbourhood.
Police
patrol vehicles were stationed at strategic points, while armed officers
maintained a visible presence around the community.
The
usually bustling streets, where commercial motorcycles, tricycles and buses
compete for space from dawn till dusk, had fallen unusually quiet.
Residents
stood in small clusters, speaking in hushed tones as they reflected on the
killing of one of the area’s most influential and polarising figures.
To
many of his supporters, Ajiboye was a philanthropist and community leader, who
provided jobs, settled disputes and came to the aid of residents in difficult
times.
Residents,
who spoke separately with Saturday
PUNCH, described his death as a devastating loss.
A
commercial tricycle rider, Yusuf Akinwale, fought back tears as he pointed to
the vehicle he said Ajiboye bought for him.
“He
gave me this tricycle and helped me several times with different kinds of
support. We have lost a helper,” he said.
A
trader, Bolaji Odekunle, said Ajiboye rarely turned away those who sought his
assistance.
“He
paid children’s school fees, settled house rents and supported naming
ceremonies. If you entered his house crying, you would leave with a smile,” she
said.
For
Babatunde Adebayo, a commercial driver, Ajiboye’s greatest legacy was restoring
peace to a once-volatile community.
“Fadeyi
was a very tough area before. He calmed the area and brought an end to
hooliganism because he gave jobs to many boys. You hardly hear of fights here
again,” he said.
A
landlord, Odukoya Bosun, also described him as a benefactor who organised
annual community events and regularly supported residents facing hardship.
The rise of Ajiboye
Born
in Kabba, Kogi State, Ajiboye’s rise to prominence followed a path few could
have predicted.
He
attended Nigeria Model School in Lagos and later earned a National Diploma from
Yaba College of Technology.
But it
was not the classroom that shaped his influence. It was the unforgiving streets
of Fadeyi, where he learnt carpentry under his father before gradually building
the network, loyalty and street capital that would later make him one of the
most recognisable figures in Lagos’ transport union politics.
From
his early days in the Oodua Peoples Congress, where he forged alliances and
earned a reputation as a grassroots mobiliser, Ajiboye steadily expanded his
influence.
He
later crossed into the National Union of Road Transport Workers, climbing from
an ordinary member to unit chairman before emerging as the organising
secretary, a position that placed him among the union’s most influential power
brokers.
A
former OPC colleague and the group’s secretary, Adewale Yunus, described
Ajiboye as one of the pillars of the OPC under the leadership of Chief Gani
Adams.
“When
OPC was still in full operation, he was one of the major pillars of Gani Adams.
During communal challenges, people stood with him. When God raised him up, he
decided to give back to society,” Yunus said.
According
to him, Ajiboye later transferred the influence he had built on the streets
into the transport union, where he consolidated his position and established
the Toba Ajiboye Foundation, using it to provide financial support,
scholarships and other humanitarian assistance to residents.
Yunus
also explained the origin of Ajiboye’s nickname, Ijaya a jegun jeran, loosely
translated as “the fearsome man who eats bones and meat.”
“They
gave him that name because anyone with bad intentions would run away. It does
not mean he eats human bones or meat,” he said.
The street warlord
Yet,
the glowing tributes from supporters and friends tell only one side of
Ajiboye’s story.
To
those who lived through the bloody turf wars that periodically engulfed Fadeyi,
his name often surfaced in conversations about the fierce struggle for
dominance that defined the area for years.
The
Mushin-Fadeyi corridor has long been a battleground where transport union
politics, street influence, cult rivalries, collection of tolls and political
interests intersect, with periodic eruptions of violence leaving scores dead
and communities living in fear.
Ajiboye’s
name repeatedly featured in public allegations, police investigations and
social media claims linking him to some of the violence.
Court
records show that in 2014, Ajiboye was arraigned alongside Adigun Oriyomi and
others over their alleged involvement in killings connected to violence in
Mushin.
One of
the charges reported by PUNCH
Metro read, “That you, Toba Ajiboye, Adigun Oriyomi and others at
large, being members of an unlawful society, on February 10, 2014, at Ewenla
Street, Mushin, did unlawfully kill one Muninat Agbabiaka.”
Oriyomi
was eventually convicted only for the killing of his friend, Femi Adekeye,
while the remaining allegations failed for lack of sufficient evidence.
Oriyomi,
who faced charges for a series of murder, was convicted based on the testimony
of his friend’s daughter who witnessed the incident.
Some
members of Ajiboye’s group, who were protesting his arraignment and the refusal
of the All Progressives Congress to effect his release at the time, had a
confrontation with members of a rival faction. The rival gang was said to be
backing the Peoples Democratic Party at the time.
The
clash between the rival gangs over the arraignment led to the killing of two
people.
For
decades, the area witnessed recurring clashes involving the rival factions for
territorial control and dominance within the transport sector.
In one
of the most gruesome incidents recorded in the area, police recovered the
severed head of a 28-year-old man, Ibikunle Tunde, following a cult clash in
2014.
A
source familiar with the community, who requested anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the matter, said the assassination of Ajiboye could be linked to
the feud.
“The
Fadeyi gang war has been going on for years. This may not be unconnected with
reprisal,” the source said.
A Facebook user, Mutyhullahi
Adesola, wrote, “Karma is always lurking in the corner for every action.”
However,
some social media users also speculated that Ajiboye’s death could be linked to
the April 2026 killing of a suspected Buccaneers member known as Agali.
A
source confirmed the link to the murder of Agali.
“It is
believed that he was assassinated over the murder of Agali in Surulere. They
believe that the assailants ran to his place and he shielded them.” the source
added.
The Chairman
of Fadeyi Motor Park, Alhaji Bariu Ibrahim, popularly known as Ofelohun,
dismissed suggestions that Ajiboye deserved a violent end, insisting that
despite his intimidating reputation, he had embraced peace.
Speaking
with Saturday PUNCH,
Ibrahim said Ajiboye refused to move around with armed escorts because he
believed he had no enemies.
He
said, “Now that he has said fighting should stop and nobody should fight again,
you have now killed him. He does not have bad things in his hand. If not, they
would not have been able to kill him.
“We
told him to use security, but he refused. He said he did not do anything to
anybody. Why should he be afraid?”
He
added that Ajiboye regularly fed hundreds of people throughout Ramadan, donated
rams during Eid-el-Kabir and rarely turned away anyone who sought his help.
The
Lagos State NURTW Chairman, Mustapha Adekunle, popularly known as Sego,
described Ajiboye as a trusted friend, loyal ally and a pillar of TeamSego and
SegoNation.
Olusegun
Adesanya, who said he had known Ajiboye for about 18 years, said he was a
courageous leader whose influence extended beyond the transport union.
“We
have seen too many deaths in the same pattern. Government needs to bring the
transport union under proper regulation,” he said.
A top
leader of the NURTW, Femi Jplum, described Ajiboye as a friend, adding that his
life was cut short.
“He
was a man who gave to people. He supported widows and many underprivileged
people through his foundation. He will be sorely missed,” he told Saturday PUNCH.
Videos
from Ajiboye’s final public appearances, widely shared after his death, showed
him surrounded by admirers at social gatherings as musicians and entertainers
openly praised him.
Gani Adams demands probe
The
Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief
Gani Adams, called for a comprehensive investigation into Ajiboye’s
assassination.
Adams
also distanced himself from allegations linking the slain transport union
leader to killings and other criminal activities.
Speaking
with Saturday PUNCH, he
described Ajiboye as a dependable associate.
“Toba
was a reliable comrade. He was very straightforward and very honest. It is
unfortunate we lost him, and it was very painful when I heard that news,” Adams
said.
Responding
to allegations that Ajiboye was involved in violent crimes, Adams said he had
no personal knowledge of such claims.
“I
don’t know about that because I have limited familiarity with that environment.
I appeal to the Lagos State Police Command to unravel the people who killed
him. When someone dies, you will hear information that is not correct and does
not tally with the attitude and character of such a person.”
When
contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Abimbola
Adebisi said investigation was ongoing.
“If
there is any update, the command will make it public,” she added.
Culled from the Punch
