20 feared dead
…as NURTW members clash in Ogun
From Moshood Adebayo, Abeokuta
Wednesday, November 16 , 2011

 

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Hell was let loose in Sango-Ota, Ogun State yesterday as no fewer than 20 persons were feared killed in an early morning rival clash among factional members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The bone of contention was the control of the Sango motor park.Similar attempts to take over control of other parks and garages violently, had led to the loss of many lives in the past.

Daily Sun investigations revealed that pandemonium broke late Monday night, when a faction of the union attempted to  forcefully overthrow the Baruwa -led faction of the NURTW in the town.

Chief Tajudeen Ibikunle (a.k.a Baruwa), who is currently the national treasurer of the union and is based in Abuja was the immediate past chairman of the union in the state.

The attempt met a stiff resistance from those loyal to the former chairman, who resisted the dissident group with dangerous weapons, shooting sporadically all night.

This is coming barely 24 hours after a state high court struck out an application challenging the conduct of a proposed election by a faction of the union in the state.

There has been protracted crisis in the state branch of the NURTW following their attempts at conducting a fresh election after the expiration of the leadership of Ibikunle .
Similar crisis was believed to be responsible for the indefinite banning of the union’s activities in Ijebu-Ode by the state government.

During yesterday’s violent clash, residents, motorists and pedestrians were shocked at the brazen manner in which members of the union freely used dangerous weapons, including guns, charms and matchetes on one another.
Vehicular movement and commercial activities were paralyzed for greater part of the day as police and other security agencies struggled to maintain law and order.
While it lasted, commercial banks, traders and shop owners could not open for business while many landlords and tenants kept in doors for greater part of the day.
Commuters and travellers, who were caught in the bloody clash lamented their ordeals, calling for urgent arrest of the ugly development .
Mrs. Agnes Richards, who spoke with Daily Sun said she could not believe what she saw during the intra-crisis of the transport union.

“I ran  the way I never  did in my life, when I saw able-bodied men carrying sophisticated guns, shooting indiscriminately  with corpses of people on the streets and in gutters.
There was confusion on the Lagos-Abeokuta road as efforts by commercial drivers, who were caught up in the violence attempted to make a retreat while many travellers jumped through the windows of their buses.
When the Police in the state  doused the tension, 20 people were feared  killed,  with many corpses littering the town. One of such corpses was left under the major  bridge in the town in the pool of his blood.
Many others were seriously injured, including a staffer of the construction giant, Julius Berger Plc, who was stabbed in the neck.

There were, however, conflicting figures of casualties as some said 10 while an eye witness account further told Daily Sun that the casualty figure had risen to 20.
There was still palpable fear in the town, even though police personnel from the Divisional Police Office, Sango had deployed its men and officers to the strategic points of the town.
But for the early presence of armed police personnel, who were drafted to the scene, the situation would have been worse.

When the crisis subsided in Sango, it shifted to the   neighbouring Ijoko, a suburb of Sango, forcing traders and workers to rush home.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the incident said the clash was caused by NURTW members over the control of the garage.
“We are on top of the situation and we have sent  our men to the place on time.  “We are even sending more men there, we are sending additional 40 men to that place. Our men in the place are in a show of force now, at least to show the people that we are fully on ground.’’

However, he denied knowledge of casualties, saying ’’for now I don’t have the exact number. Nobody can say somebody is dead, a medical doctor has to certify. The CP has not given us the exact figure.’’
We have deployed Armoured Personnel Carrier there too.’’ “The CP may personally visit the place later but I think the area is calm now.”

marocguy:

wild wild west!
Boko boko north!
Whr is bluetooth,eko ile?
Motorpark mafia clowns!
Ndiala!

nwaigbo_mg:

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/nov/16/national-16-11-2011-007.html


pls, i want to know whether this union (nurtw) only exist in south western nigeria,
why is it that we don't hear of clashes and killings of this nurtw from south-south, north or south-east.
i have spent many of my life in owerre, imo state, but i have not heard of this nurtw of a thing not to talk of seeing a single member.

since last year, these clashes among different factions of this union have claimed aproximately 200 lives or even more than,
i am tired of all these nonsense, tomorrow, if u don't hear baruwa, u will hear tokyo, elemowo, auxilary, japan etc.
the most painful part of it, is that, the bone of contention is always ' control of motor packs'
from lagos cities to ejebu-ode, abeokuta, oshobo, ife, ibadan, oyo, illorin etc. it is the same thing.

pls what happened to south west education? i thought they said they are the most enlightened and educated group in africa.

something is wrong somewhere, pls brothers, we need resolve some ugent issues before things get out of hand

YORUBA RONU

Another Igbo tribal bigot, hope you enjoy your time.

Okija_juju:

Ofe Mmanu people, killing themselves over motor park presidency!!

Tufiakwa!!

Cool83:

Why people like posting false information,i live around the garage,the casualties is not up to 20, it's just 4.

ngozianu:

why is it that all these touts,agberos and area boys in the south west are usually Tajudeen,Saula,Lamidi,Taofeek,Morufu why not paul,peter,matthew,John etc

novaman:

some people on nairaland have nothing upstairs it is common for them to come online maybe using one cheap phone just to condenm other tribes all in the name of just adding comments; anyone who abuse other tribes is a complete fool because somewhere along every blood line we are all connected. what a shame