Christopher Oji
The Lagos State taskforce at the weekend arrested 11 suspected members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for allegedly causing mayhem at the Yaya Abatan area of Ogba.
The suspects, according to the police, allegedly engaged themselves with guns, broken bottles, clubs and charms.
Although no official reason was given for the mayhem, but sources said that the fracas started over sharing of money that was given to them by one of the union’s leaders.
The fracas which lasted for hours caused a lot of traffic gridlock in Ogba as road users scampered for safety to avoid being trapped in the battle.
A yet-to-be ascertained number of persons allegedly sustained severe injuries
The chairman, Lagos State taskforce, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, said that those arrested were immediately charged before the state mobile court.
Egbeyemi said that 11 members of the union were arrested over the weekend by the enforcement team of the agency for causing mayhem around Yaya-Abatan Garage at Ogba.
He said that dangerous weapons such as axes, daggers, broken bottles and cutlasses were recovered from the suspects.
He said the suspects were charged to court to serve as a deterrent to other union members who might want to disturb the peace of the state.
Egbeyemi warned members of the NURTW across the state to always conduct their activities in a peaceful manner as anyone caught fomenting trouble would be severely dealt with in accordance with the law.
H said that the Lagos State government had warned members of the NURTW to conduct their activities in a peaceful manner and not to disrupt the peace of innocent members of the public.
In another development, Egbeyemi said an ex-convict, Sodiq, who specialised in stealing commercial motorcycles from where they were parked had been rearrested for the office.
He said that the suspect had confessed to selling one of them at the rate of N40,000.
He said the suspect has also confessed that his gang members stole a tricycle at ‘Ifo’ and that they were on their way to Idi-Oro area of Mushin where they intended to hand it over to ‘Mallo when they were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State taskforce at Oshodi.
Also arrested along with Sadiq was his second in command, Ibrahim.
According to Sadiq: “I was just released from Kirikiri prison last month where I spent seven months for not being able to produce a commercial tricycle given to me on hire purchase by the owner.
“I was trained as a tricycle mechanic for four years at ‘Abekoko’ area of Oyo State before I came to Lagos in year 2017. I graduated from stealing phones, bags to stealing tricycles along with Ibrahim who I met at ‘Akala’ area of Mushin,” he added.
“We had stolen and sold more than 55 phones, jewellery, laptops and seven tricycles to one ‘Mallo’ at Idi-Oro area of Mushin. We sold all our stolen items to ‘Mallo’ and others at Ido-Oro and Akala area of Mushin,” he stated.
Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, has directed that the suspects should be charged to court for prosecutions.