The assassination of Toba Ajiboye, also known as Toba Ijaya, has brought renewed attention to the longstanding violence associated with Lagos motor park politics.
Subsquently, it has reopened painful memories of past conflicts within the city’s transport underworld.
On Tuesday, hundreds of relatives, associates, friends and supporters converged on Fadeyi, Lagos, to mourn and pay their final respects to the 43-year-old Organising Secretary of the Lagos State National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
Videos circulating online captured the deeply emotional scene, with mourners gathered around his remains as grief overwhelmed many who came to bid him farewell.
Ajiboye was attacked on Sunday, July 12, after unidentified gunmen reportedly ambushed him in the Fadeyi area. His vehicle was sprayed with bullets during the attack, and he later died from the injuries he sustained.
The circumstances surrounding his death have drawn particular attention, given the reputation he had built over the years in motor park and political circles.
The calculated manner of the attack has been likened to the kind of violent reprisals often linked to organised criminal groups.
Observers have also pointed to the apparent precision of the attack, suggesting that the circumstances surrounding his final moments appeared to indicate an assassination intended to achieve more than simply taking his life, but also to deliver a warning.
Alleged Betrayal
Sources familiar with the circumstances surrounding Ajiboye’s death have alleged that betrayal by someone within his circle may have played a role in the events leading to his assassination, The Saturday Punch reports.
A bricklayer identified simply as Oke, who was said to have previously worked for Ajiboye, allegedly tracked his movements and relayed information about his whereabouts to the suspected attackers.
“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,” a source shared.
Following the incident, detectives reportedly arrested Oke and his wife, while another man identified simply as Suko, who was allegedly involved in financing parts of the operation, was said to have fled Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the investigation appeared to take another turn after a voice note played to Saturday Punch reportedly captured a conversation in which an unidentified caller alerted another individual that Ajiboye was preparing to leave the location he had visited.
