7th September, 2011
Members of the Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), have accused the immediate past chairman of the union, Akanni Rafiu Olohunwa, of being the mastermind of a fresh clash that left several people injured at its Cele/Isolo park along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, yesterday.
The members who expressed bitterness over the attack, said it came just a few days after the police in Lagos State, sent armoured tank to the park to forestall a breakdown of law and order and scare away touts who might be planning to cause pandemonium in the area.
But there was a serious clash at the park yesterday, when some unidentified policemen and touts allegedly sent by the immediate past chairman, stormed the place, shooting sporadically in the air.
Members of the union who spoke to P.M. NEWS identified some of the touts as Lateef Nosiru a.k.a. Oluomo Cele, Nurudeen Oladejobi, Bashiru Ajagungbade, Jamiu Ogunlana, Abolore Akeem Ogunlowo, Tajudeen Shoyoye and Tajudeen Lawal, who they alleged to be Olohunwa’s loyalists.
The leader of the gang, Lateef Nosiru, was also identified as a notorious tout that just regained freedom after he was nabbed by the police for being in possession of firearms. He was also accused of being quoted as saying that he was only waiting for Olohunwa’s order to strike in the area.
Sources at the scene of the incident claimed that several people, including innocent commuters, were injured by the bullets of the hatchet-men, while some others were involved in the multiple accidents that occurred as a result of the pandemonium.
Findings revealed that it took the joint effort of the (Federal) Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) and men of OP-MESA to quell to the crisis, which also extended to Isolo axis of Lagos.
Investigation further revealed that as soon as the security operatives deployed to the area by DCP Tunde Sobulo, the officer in-charge of Operations in Lagos State, arrived at the scene, some of the unidentified policemen and touts who had ravaged the area, disappeared, while four others were arrested.
Speaking at the scene of the crisis, NURTW members led by Mukaila Raji, also an eye witness, accused Olohunwa of wanting to take over the park from them.
“Our former chairman, Olohunwa had been showing his selfish interest to take over this park, having threatened us so many times and his threats were always being followed with violent attacks like this. All the boys sent here to cause commotion were his hatchet-men. We learnt he has fled to Abuja but we want him to come out and tell the world why he is so interested in this park. We know he has powerful godfathers as top officials of the present government who are conniving with him to take over our park, but this time they will fail.
“If not for the police who intervened, several lives would have been lost in this attack,” he said.
Also speaking, an aide of the traditional ruler of Isolo, who spoke on behalf of the monarch, said that the Osolo and his chiefs have condemned the invasion of the park by touts and ‘fake’ policemen.
The aide, who spoke on phone, said that the monarch is also calling on the police to further beef up security in the area.
Meanwhile, the police have confirmed the arrest of four among the touts who disrupted peace at the Cele Park of NURTW yesterday.
A top police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no policemen were sent to the Cele park to carry out any hatchet job. He also disclosed that the four suspects arrested in connection with the attack,
Alhaji Musibau Sadiku, Segun Johnson a.k.a. Kube, Aremu and Chidi, were already being interrogated.