Reactions have continued to trail the actions of Shooting Stars’ supporters who held the players, and officials of Ikorodu City hostage for two hours after a match between both sides ended 0-0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Sunday evening.
TheNewsGuru reports that the home fans, who were disappointed that Shooting Stars could not earn the maximum points, started throwing objects, such as stones, stick, into the pitch immediately after the match.
Reports indicated that the Nigerian police force had to intervene by stopping the home fans from gaining access to the dressing room of Ikorodu City players.
In the video that surfaced on social media, the angry fans refused to allow the Ikorodu City contingent to leave the stadium, as the visitors team bus was vandalised.
The vandalisation of their bus, left Ikorodu City players, officials stranded for many hours until the state government provided a military escort before they were able to leave the stadium.
An official of the club narrated the horrific experience in the video.
He said, “I have heard similar stories before in the NPFL, but this is my first time experiencing it.
“We are being held hostage right here at the Lekan Salami Stadium after Ikorodu City forced Shooting Stars into a goalless draw. We are held hostage in the dressing room. The light has been switched off. See the players using their phones. We cannot go out – both the players and the officials. The team bus has been vandalised.”
There are also claims that the referee that officiated the encounter was manhandled by Shooting Stars supporters.
Football enthusiasts have taken to social media to blast Shooting Stars for the maltreating Ikorodu City players, and officials.
Ikorodu City director Sulaimon Adebayo also known as Pooja confirmed the incident in a post on X.
He wrote on X, “Soldiers rescued Ikorodu City players and officials from Ibadan after the draw with Shooting Stars. Thank God for safety. It was hell.”
NPFL enthusiast Mike The Pundit is expecting the Nigeria Premier Football League to sanction Shooting Stars
He wrote on X, “I fully expect Shooting Stars’ sanction to be ready on or before Thursday, 4PM.”
Alloy Chukwuemeka was disappointed with the actions of Shooting Stars supporters.
He wrote on Facebook, “We have grown beyond this. This is taking the league backward.”
Tao Ibadan urged the NPFL to sanction Shooting Stars, saying no justification to the barbaric act from the supporters.
He wrote on Facebook, “There is no justification for what Shooting Stars fans have done and they should be punished accordingly. The NPFL should be blamed too because this happens every season. It was Kano Pillars last season
“If proper security measures are not put in place, this will continue to happen. The same thing that occurred yesterday almost happened in the first leg against Ikorodu City but due to the quick preventive measures, the fight between fans wasn’t this tense.
“NPFL should take proper action on what happened and give out stern warning because of future occurrences, while looking at themselves also if they are doing the right thing as an association or they’re just using money for PR only.”