Oyo State government bans NURTW

Governor Abiola Ajimobi this afternoon announced the immediate ban of all activities of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo state.

The governor who disclosed this while reading a communiqué issued at the end of the emergency meeting of the security council held at the state Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, capital of Oyo State also ordered immediate arrest of all perpetrators of the on-going bloody clash between two factions of NURTW which have claimed the lives of no fewer than 20 people.

According to Governor Ajimobi, the security council at its emergency meeting attended by heads of security agencies in the state comprising of General Officer Commanding (GOC) second Division of the Nigeria Army, Oyo state Police Commissioner, Alahaji Baba Adisa Bolanta ,the State Director of SSS ,heads of the Immigration service among others  had reviewed the bloody clash and resolved into sending the NURTW members parking from all motor parks across the 33 local government areas of the state.

The governor stated, “Government hereby bans all NURTW activities at the motor parks pending the investigation of the mayhem and prosecution of all the culprits which should be done immediately.

Security agencies have been directed to arrest all the perpetrators of the crimes leading directly or indirectly to the recent mayhem in the state and recover all illegal arms and ammunition.

He stressed that activities of the NURTW in Oyo state is to be remain ban pending investigation and the prosecution of all the perpetrators of the bloody clash as well as those found culpable in the bloody clash.

The governor declared that as at present, NURTW constitutes major threat to the security of Oyo state considering the negative effects of the prolonged factional crisis rocking the union which according to him was based on politicisation of the union.

Governor Ajimobi while blaming the lack of political will by the  immediate past administration of Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala to take appropriate action at the appropriate time blamed the prolonged NURTW faction crisis in Oyo state the alarming access of the union members to ammunitions and abuse of court orders and judgments by governor Akala. “The council also observed that NUTW poses a major security risk to the state.

The genesis of the problem they constitute arises from the following factors: “Politicization of the activities of the union, contending attempts to control the revenue of the motor parks by different factions, an alarming access to arms and ammunitions among members of the union and the society at large, abuse of court processes and orders and ineffective enforcement of the law, violent succession crisis in the union and lack of political will of previous administration to take the appropriate decisions as at when required, ”he said.

By Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan