One Killed as NURTW’s Factions clash in Abuja

Chaos erupted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Sapele Crescent, off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard in Garki II, as two opposing groups of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) clashed, producing mayhem in the region.

During the conflict, there were reports of gunshots, which heightened tensions and culminated in the death of one individual.

This conflict reflects the rising tension inside the NURTW, which observers say necessitates immediate intervention to avert further collapse of law and order.

According to sources, a confrontation erupted as supporters of NURTW President Prof. Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa marched towards the union’s national office, which is now occupied by the Lagos Park Management Committee led by Tajudeen Badru Agbede.

The source was quoted to have said: “As you may be aware, members of the Lagos Park Management Committee, led by Agbede, forcefully occupied the Secretariat a few weeks ago, displacing the president and other executives

“Therefore, supporters of the current president mobilized themselves in an effort to forcibly remove Agbede and his group.

“However, they were met by a police blockade which resulted in a violent confrontation. Shots were fired, intensifying the gravity of the crisis.”

Baruwa had been seeking intervention from the police and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to resolve the situation, without success.

He accused the former president of the union, Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, and Agbede, the former National Vice President, of holding illegal meetings with selected past leaders of the union.

In a further development, Baruwa alleged that the police seem to favour the Lagos Park Management Committee.

Therefore, he called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olukayode Egbetokun and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, to intervene in the matter.

He stressed that only a court of competent jurisdiction can invalidate their mandate, and encouraged aggrieved members to follow due process and seek legal redress, warning that anything short of this could lead to anarchy.