Night of terror in Ibadan: •20 feared dead in NURTW clash •50 vehicles vandalised; 20 shops razed •25 NURTW members arrested - Police •Govt may proscribe union today

Written by Adebayo Waheed and Dare Adekanmbi Monday, 06 June 2011

NO fewer than 20 people, among them  a pastor, were killed with several others sustaining gunshot injuries in a renewed clash between members of the factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ibadan, Oyo State, in the early hours of  Sunday.

Also, about 20 shops were razed down while 30 others were looted and vehicles numbering 50 were vandalised by union members during the clash which lasted five hours.

Most of the victims were said to be passengers, who were waiting for night buses at the Total petrol station on the Ibadan-Ife road.

An eyewitness told the Nigerian Tribune that the people were taken unawares by the NURTW members, led by Mr Mukaila Lamidi, also known as Auxiliary, who was said to have gone to reclaim the motor park, which was taken over by members loyal to Alhaji Lateef Akinsola Oluwatoki, also known as Tokyo, last Monday.

It will be recalled that last Monday, a faction of the union, led by Tokyo, had clashed with the other faction at the Iwo road interchange, during which one person was killed and 10 others sustained injuries.

Eyewitnesses disclosed that the hoodlums had arrived at the motor park around 11.45 p.m. and started shooting sporadically at the filling station, during which people were killed and others injured.

It was learnt that 33 people were taken to  the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and that 14 had been discharged.

A police source told the Nigerian Tribune that causality was more than last Monday’s.

“Where were journalists when the corpses were still on the ground?” a policeman had asked.

When Nigerian Tribune visited the Iwo road interchange during the clash, some of the shops torched were still smouldering.

An official of the state fire service, Mrs Olunike Olayinka, said they received distress call around 9.30 a.m. and by 10.00 a.m., when they arrived, the shops were still burning.

According to her, 20 shops were burnt with property worth millions of naira destroyed in the inferno.

She said that the arrival of fire-fighters halted the spread of the fire to the adjourning shops at the park.

No fewer than 50 mobile policemen with eight patrol vehicles and four Armoured Personnel Carriers were on the ground to restore, law and order.

At the time of filing this report, mobile policemen had taken over the control of the park while both human and vehicular traffics were being checked, as people were being ordered to raise their hands.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Oyo State Police Command, SP Olatunji Ajimuda, who confirmed the clash, said that about 25 members of the union had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Speaking on the number of people allegedly killed, he said he was not aware of the number of those killed but that some people were taken to the UCH.

Meanwhile, state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, on Sunday, said his administration might reconsider proscribing the state chapter of the NURTW in the interest of peace in the state.

donspony:

Agbero. . . bad bad yoruba scourge.

violent:

obvious troll is obvious!

“Where were journalists when the corpses were still on the ground?” a policeman had asked.

The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus or CMBT is a modern, state-of-the-art bus terminus located in Chennai, India catering to outstation buses. Spread over an area of 37 acres in Koyambedu, it is the largest bus terminus in Asia and is accredited with the ISO 9001:2000 quality certification for its quality management and excellence. It is located on the 100 feet (30 m) inner ring road (Jawaharlal Nehru Road) in Koyambedu between SAF Games Village and the Koyambedu Vegetable Market. Chennai Metro Rail is planned for its coaching Depot behind the CMBT.

The largest underground bus station in Europe is Kamppi Centre of Helsinki, Finland completed in 2006. The terminal cost 100 million Euro to complete and took 3 years to design and build. Today, the bus terminal, which covers 25,000 square meters, is the busiest bus terminal in Finland.