NURTW Factions In Bloody Clash As Baruwa Emerges National President

CHUKA UBAH

A bloody clash ensured between rival groups of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW), at the weekend in Lagos, which reportedly led to death of one person while several others sustained various degrees of injuries.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the clash was between the rival members of the union in Apapa Iganmu area of the state supporting the elected National President, Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa and the Lagos State Chairman, Alhaji Tajuden Agbede, respectively.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that the bloody clash took place on Friday evening when market women, commercial vehicle operators, including private car owners were on their way home. A faction of the NURTW linked to Alhaji Baruwa, headed by Comrade Sulaimon Kudeti, Branch Chairman B, Apapa, reportedly blocked the main road at Ijora 7Up area, where an open party celebration was on over the emergence of the newly elected National President of the NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, who defeated Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede’s faction in the just concluded election of the union in Abuja.

It was further gathered that the other members, who belonged to Alhaji Agbede’s faction, on the same day also organised a separate party in honour of their leader, Tajudeen Agbede, at NURTW Secretariat, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.

It was learnt that the union members allegedly refused to get the approval from both the Police and the Apapa\ Iganmu Local Council before they blocked the road for the party.

The attack on Agbede’s faction, with dangerous arms and ammunition by the Baruwa group, a source said, caused severe injuries on members linked to Agbede’s faction.

Based on credible information from members of the public, the Divisional Police Officer, Ijora Police Station, CSP Akinola Olufemi, swung into action with his men to arrest the situation from degenerating further. The Police subsequently rushed the injured members, including Yusuf Rilwan, Rasheed Olaiya, Hammed Adeniyi and Rilwan Isiaka, to Randle General Hospital, Apapa Road for proper treatment.

One of the victims, Yusuf Rilwan, who was allegedly stabled with knife and was soaked with blood, was referred to Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Surulere for medical attention where he later died.

According to Comrade Oyetakin, a.k. a. School boy, the Chairman, Tricycle Owners’ Association of Nigeria (TROAN), Apapa  Branch, “There are two factions of NURTW in Lagos; we have Alhaji Tajudeen Agbde and Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa factions respectively”.

“The incident happened on Thursday when news reached us that Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa had been announced as the winner of NURTW election which held in Abuja.”

“One Friday, our members, who belonged to the Baruwa group, led by MC Oluomo and Sulaiman Kudeti, then organised an open party at the main road; blocked the main road and caused heavy traffic in Ijora Badia while celebrating the winning team.”

“Initially, our leader, Tajudeen Agbede, had earlier called us that our team had lost the chairmanship position and as result we should remain peaceful in our various branches in the state and that if anybody wants to make an attempt to fight us that we should report such a case to the Police.

“Because of the party, Comrade Kudeti invited one Lukmon Alabi, a.k.a. Mobil, a wanted and dreaded killer in Surulere area of the state in order to attack our members. Our members did not intend to attack them based on the instruction given to us by our leader to remain peaceful. On that faithful Friday, our members were at the State NURTW Secretariat in Oko-Oba Agege, where we organized our own programme.

“However, when Lukman Alabi arrived the place, he started looking for our members. Immediately he saw some of them at the office, he started throwing bottles and shooting sporadically. In the process, many of them were injured.  But the most painful thing is that, this is not the first time things like this had happened where they attacked our members and injured them. Yet they would still go ahead to use the Police to arrest us through the ‘Area B’ Area Commander in Apapa.

He narrated that the Area Commander usually called for peace meetings. He said that the sad thing about the meetings is that whenever there got there, they were usually arrested and detained while the others were left to go free.

He vowed, “We cannot continue with this injustice, the Police authorities should intervene and stop biased  investigations by some of their men in the area; they have killed and detained only members of our own faction.

He, however, appealed to the new leadership of the NURTW to show leadership by example and stop the killings over any leadership tussle.

Also speaking with P.M.EXPRESS correspondent, Comrade Ismaila Ojora, Chairman, NURTW Branch B, Apapa, said their faction was being treated unfairly by the Police, adding that whenever the other faction attacked or killed any of their members, they would thereafter run to the Police to effect the arrest of members of their faction.

“Imagine our members who were already soaked with blood being moved  to the police station to make report despite the fact that the party they held was not approved by the Police and the LCDA and up till now none of their members, who perpetrated the crime, have been arrested.”

He said, “We are calling on the Police authorities in Lagos State to quickly wade into the matter before MC Oluomo and Kudeti kill all our members in the state”.