8th March, 2012
In a bid to forestall further breakdown of law and order in Lawanson, the Chairman of the Lagos State Council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede has set up a nine-man caretaker committee to take over affairs at the three troubled units in Lawanson under Surulere branch.
The chairman explained that the decision to set up the committee followed yesterday’s clash by miscreants at the motor parks in Lawanson.
The committee was mandated to ensure that peace reigned in the area and report anybody trying to foment trouble or cause confusion to the law enforcement agents.
Alhaji Agbede explained that the council under his leadership would not condone any action capable of threatening the peace of the state or tarnish the image of the union.
The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday described as “worrisome” the escalation of clashes between rival factions of NURTW in the state.
Reacting to Wednesday’s clash between NURTW members in Lawanson, spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Joseph Jaiyeoba, noted that no fewer than four similar clashes were recorded in the state within the last one month.
Jaiyeoba said that the recent factional clashes by NURTW members in Lagos Island, Ebute-Meta, Sangrouse and Lawanson, were over leadership tussles.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that Wednesday’s clash was triggered by an attempt by some NURTW members to unseat the incumbent leadership of its Lawanson branch, which was resisted.
“The plan to unseat the incumbent leadership of the branch started during the weekend but the ‘coup’ was foiled.
“Some NURTW members came to the motor parks with dangerous weapons, such as guns and cutlasses.
“The arrival of the policemen from Itire division and Rapid Respond Squad saved the area from being turned into a theatre of war,” a source told NAN.
The police spokesman told NAN that the situation had been put under control.
“We are right at the scene with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Operations), Mr. Tunde Sobulo, who is leading the team, as more policemen have been deployed to the area,” Jaiyeoba added.
NAN reports that at about 1p.m. on Monday, there was disturbance of public peace at Sangrouse area of Lagos Island.
The police spokesman said that Monday’s clash on Lagos Island was caused by some miscreants on reprisal attack, while returning from the burial of a member who was killed in a previous clash.
“The attack caused pandemonium in Okesuna, Lafiaji and Sangrouse areas and policemen were quickly deployed to the scene to put the situation under control.
Shops, offices and other business entities that were earlier closed following the clash are now open,” Jaiyeoba said.