On Sunday, April 6, 2025, Ikorodu City, a Lagos-based team, was reportedly taken captive after a goalless draw with Shooting Stars SC (3SC) in the ongoing 2024–2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
After the aforementioned game, some angry Shooting Stars SC supporters gathered in the dressing room at Lekan Salami Stadium in Adamasingba, Ibadan, to vent their resentment on Ikorodu City FC players and officials.
After stadium administrators allegedly turned off the power, video showed Ikorodu City’s players and officials in a pitch-black room, depending on the light from their cell phones.
One of the Ikorodu City officials said, “I have heard similar stories before in the NPFL, but this is my first time experiencing it.”
“We are being held in the dressing room after the match ended in a goalless draw,” he said, describing the circumstances. Both officials and players are unable to leave because the lights have been turned out. There has been vandalism on the team bus.
Additional footage showed that the bus belonging to the visiting team was seriously damaged, and there were rumors that one official was hurt in the chaos. Frustrated by the team’s failure to win at home, violence broke out shortly after the final whistle of the Match Day 32 match.
In an attempt to vent their frustration, the supporters started hurling things onto the field before shutting the visiting players in their dressing room. The crowd physically attacked one of the officials and destroyed Ikorodu City’s team bus, taking advantage of the insufficient security.
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Unfortunately, there are many instances of violence in Nigerian football. Conflicts between supporters, club officials, and referees have occurred in numerous stadiums throughout the nation throughout the years.
It was reported that the Nigerian Army troops had rescued and taken the players and officials from Ikorodu City out of the stadium.
With 48 points from 32 games, Shooting Stars were in fourth place in the league rankings after the game. Ikorodu City was not far behind them with 46 points from 31 games.
