Scores of Okada riders and ticket sellers were injured during a violent clash in Akure, the state capital, following disagreements over alleged multiple levies imposed on the riders.

Report says the confrontation, which broke out in several parts of the Akure metropolis, was allegedly caused by mounting tensions over the collection of daily levies from commercial motorcycle operators.

The riders accused ticket sellers of demanding additional payments after they had already settled similar charges, leading to a breakdown of law and order in the state capital and leaving people scampering for safety.

With the development disrupting commercial motorcycle operations in some parts of the capital, the riders protested over what they described as multiple and unauthorised collections.

One of the riders, Jimoh Akindele, accused the council boss of directing ticket sellers to collect additional levies from operators despite payments already made for similar purposes.

“We see this as double taxation because we cannot imagine Hon. Fasua selling an emblem for riders in Akure South. He claimed it was meant for Akure South Local Government and they are collecting N7,000 from us as total package.”

Reacting to the allegations, Fasua denied knowledge of the controversial collections, saying the alleged emblem was not authorised by him and that no proceeds from its sale had accrued to Akure South Local Government.

Two suspected armed robbers were reportedly killed during a gun duel with the police in Lagos, while another member of the gang was arrested.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the recent operational activities of the command.

Fatai said the two suspects were neutralised during a gun battle with operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit in the early hours of Monday.

According to the commissioner, the operation followed actionable intelligence on the activities of a suspected armed robbery gang operating in the state.

“On 4/10/2026 at about 2200hrs, operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on actionable intelligence concerning the activities of a suspected armed robbery gang, traced the suspects to their hideout along Gasikia Road, Ijora-Badia,” Fatai said.

He added that the suspects opened fire after sighting the police operatives, resulting in a gun duel during which two members of the gang were neutralised.

“Upon sighting the police operatives, the suspects allegedly engaged the officers in a gun duel, during which two of the suspects were neutralised, one escaped, while another, identified as Patrick Azure ‘m’, aged 26 years, was arrested,” he said.

The operation, according to the CP, resulted in the recovery of two Beretta pistols and four rounds of live 9mm ammunition.

Fatai said preliminary investigation showed that the gang was allegedly preparing to carry out a robbery operation when the police intervened.

“Preliminary investigation indicates that the gang was preparing for an operation before the intervention of the police,” he said.

He added that the command was intensifying efforts to arrest the fleeing suspect and recover more weapons allegedly used by the gang.

“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect as well as recover additional operational weapons,” the commissioner said.

Speaking with journalists, the arrested suspect identified himself as Patrick Azure, 26, from the Republic of Benin.

“My name is Patrick Azure. I am 26 years old, and I am from the Republic of Benin,” he said.

Patrick alleged that two members of the gang, identified as Azeez and ID, who were killed during the encounter with the police, had come to pick him up from his home on the day of the operation.

“On the day of the arrest, Azeez and ID, who were killed in the fight with the police, came to pick me up at home,” he said.

The suspect admitted that the gang was on its way to carry out a robbery when the police intercepted them.

“We were going for an operation when the policemen came and killed two of our members,” he said.

Patrick also claimed that he had accompanied the gang on three previous operations and was paid between N50,000 and N250,000.

“This is the third time that I am following them on an operation. They gave me between N50,000 and N250,000,” he said.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has visited the site of the Nigerian Air Force aircraft crash at Igbokoda, directing a sustained search for the remains of the victims and wreckage of the aircraft.

Aiyedatiwa, who gave the directive at the scene of the incident on Wednesday, described the accident as a national tragedy.

The military aircraft with 25 people on board, was on a special mission from Benin to Lagos, when it crashed at about 11.00a.m on Monday.

The governor visited the scene alongside personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Air Force, divers, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director for the South-West and locals involved in the recovery efforts.

Aiyedatiwa, who described the scene as a “very gory sight”, said parts of bodies, clothes, jackets belonging to the Air Force personnel and broken aircraft parts had been recovered and preserved for further investigation.

According to him, the difficulty in accessing the crash site prompted him to direct the Ministry of Works to deploy two amphibious machines, popularly known as swamp boogies, to improve access through the waterways.

He said the main body of the aircraft was yet to be sighted, adding that machines had enabled recovery teams to move bigger boats closer to the site to excavate the soil in search of other parts of the main body of the aircraft.

The governor said Navy personnel and local divers were continuing the search in the deeper sections of the area for possible bodies and the cockpit.

“From construction experience and analysis of this area, for you to get to refusal level, it’ll get to about 30 metres deep,” he said.

Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that jet fuel was flowing into the water, resulting in pollution of the area with aviation fuel.

He expressed gratitude that the aircraft did not crash in the middle of the community, saying such an occurrence would have resulted in a major catastrophe.

“Only the pilot would have been able to explain the efforts made to manoeuvre the aircraft. From accounts given by residents, they saw the aircraft descending with what sounded like an engine problem.

“It was coming down and almost appeared set to crash within the community. However, the pilot was able to manoeuvre the aircraft and bring it down about 200 metres away from the community before it went into the swampy area.

“The terrain is so soft that it appears the aircraft may have sunk deep into the mud, which is why it has not been seen.

“From construction experience and analysis of the terrain, reaching refusal level during piling operations in this area can require going as deep as 35 to 40 kilometres,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Capt. Andy Alemongwa, briefed the governor on the progress of the search and recovery operations.

(NAN)