New Telegraph

Lagos: Two killed in Okada riders, NURTW members’ clash

Two people were killed while many others were injured yesterday during a clash between commercial motorcyclists and transport union members in Lagos.

 

The fracas occurred at Iyana- Iba, on the Mile 2-Badagry Expressway. It was learnt that the National Union of Road Traffic Workers (NURTW) members seized a motorcycle from a rider said to be of Hausa extraction about 9am for allegedly refusing to pay for tickets, hiked from N200 to N500.

 

The owner of the motorcycle resisted the move to impound his bike, which drew the attention of other NURTW members to the scene. Soon, hell was let loose as other Hausa riders stopped to defend their member, who was being beaten by the NURTW members.

 

A commercial bus driver, who identified himself only as Emmanuel, told our correspondent that the union members used sticks to beat up other riders who later joined in the free-for-all. Emmanuel said the situation degenerated when one of the riders stabbed a member of the transport union in the stomach.

 

He said: “I heard that the union member, who was stabbed, later died as he was left by the side of the road.” Another commercial bus driver, Ramon Saheed, said the NURTW members brought out guns when they heard that one of their members had been killed by the Okada riders. He said: “The union, in retaliation, shot dead a rider. This attracted the attention of Hausa riders from Alaba Rago who rushed to the scene and started attacking the union members with dangerous weapons. Passers-by and traders were not spared in the attack.”

 

It was learnt that some soldiers from Ojo Cantonment were drafted to protect their facility, while policemen from Ojo and Okokomaiko Police Stations were drafted to restore normalcy.

 

Commuters were stranded for hours and commercial buses avoided the area, while a few other buses operated from Mile 2 to Barracks and from Agbara to Okokomaiko. The commuters were forced to complete the remaining part of the journey on foot, while others avoided Iyana-Iba completely. Hoodlums vandalised some of the vehicles parked on the road.

 

They also looted shops and rob passers-by. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement that normalcy had since returned to the area.

 

Adejobi, however, said there was no ethnic correlation in the fracas which, according to him, occurred around Iyana-Iba/ Alaba Rago and Ojo areas. He said the crisis started as a result of disagreement between members of the transport unions, okada unit precisely, on the implementation of increment in “ticket money” collected from riders.

 

The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, had ordered the immediate deployment of additional police personnel in the area to maintain law and order. Odumosu, he added, also directed the Area Commander, Area E, Festac, to personally be on ground to monitor the situation and invite the leaders of the affected Okada riders unit for an urgent meeting.

 

He said: “The command wishes to debunk the rumor that the disagreement, not violence as being peddled in the social media, was between some ethnic groups. “Without mincing words, the incident has no ethic colouration whatsoever but a mere conflict between transport unions and their okada units on ticketing and increment in tariff.

 

“The command therefore enjoins members of the public, especially those around the areas, including the students of the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, to go about their lawful businesses and studies respectively, as adequate deployment has been done to fortify security in the axis and by extension, in Lagos State in general.”

 

Meanwhile, the Headquarters 9 Brigade, Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Major A. K. Bello, said in a statement that soldiers supported the police to end the mayhem at Iyana-Iba. Bello said the Commanding Officer, 149 Battalion, Ojo, received Policemen at the scene of the clash Gunmen a request for support from the Divisional Police Station, Ojo.

 

He said: “The Commanding Officer sought and obtained the permission of the outgoing Commander, 9 Brigade, who is also the Coordinator of Operation MESA (a joint internal security outfit) in Lagos State, Brigadier General Sale Kawugana, who was on visit to Ojo Cantonment to draft soldiers on Operation MESA to the scene to assist the police restore law and order as well as protect lives and property of innocent citizens.

 

“The soldiers, in conjunction with the police, immediately moved to the scene and successfully restored normalcy to the area to the admiration of many peace-loving citizens and motorists plying the Ojo-Badagry Expressway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The commander also directed the soldiers to remain patrolling the area in conjunction with the police until full normalcy and commercial activities are restored in the area.”

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