During violent fights between two factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) over control of the union’s national headquarters in Federal Capital Territory Abuja, at least one person was reported to have died and others sustained varied degrees of injury.
It was reported that they clashed when supporters of NURTW President Tajudeen Baruwa marched towards the union’s national headquarters, which is currently occupied by the Lagos Park Management Committee led by Tajudeen Agbede, who was said to be protected by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egberokun.
According to reports, the dead was one of Baruwa’s supporters who was struck when gunfire rang out on Sapele Crescent, off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Garki II, Abuja, on Tuesday afternoon.
The deceased’s body was claimed to have been removed from the scene to prevent instilling panic in the people of the neighborhood where the NURTW headquarters was located.
The conflict highlights an ongoing leadership battle inside the NURTW, a trend that observers say necessitates immediate state intervention to avert further collapse of law and order, particularly in the nation’s capital city.
According to a source from the Lagos Parks management, the body of the slain young guy was carried away as soon as the disturbances subsided, with his cloth purportedly removed to avoid any association with the clashes.
The source, who did not want his name printed because he was not allowed to talk, said they came from Lagos and were tasked to keep control of the headquarters under their hands.
The Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has remained silent on the matter, and efforts to persuade him to speak have been met with resistance.
Despite the fact that Baruwa previously stated that he requested the participation of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Labour Congress to resolve the matter, he was unsuccessful.
“We shall henceforth not hesitate to defend our mandate with the last drop of our blood,” Baruwa had earlier vowed, accusing former NURTW leaders of illegally taking the union’s National Secretariat.
He emphasized that only a court of competent authority could invalidate his mandate, and he urged disgruntled members to follow due process and seek legal recourse, warning that failure to do so would result in anarchy.
He also accused the union’s previous president, Najeem Yasin, and Agbede, the former National Vice President, of holding unlawful meetings with chosen past union leaders.
While urging the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, and the Director General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, to intervene, he said that the police appear to be biased in favor of the Lagos Park Management Committee.
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