Lagos bans transport unions, as 18 are charged to court over Oshodi mayhem
Lagos Police Command on Thursday charged to court more than 18 suspects For their roles in the the mayhem that occurred in Oshodi on Wednesday just as 22 others have been arrested and were due for prosecution on Friday.
Similarly, the Lagos State Government has banned all transport unions and sale of alcohol in garages in the state.
Lagos Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, announced the ban of the two activities after a meeting of the State Security Council, Which was attended by Lagos Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti.
Fashola said the unfortunate incident was reviewed and that henceforth, all transport union activities, including collection of dues and sale of alcohol in all garages in Lagos have been banned.
All the prohibitions, he said, are contained in the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012 and would now be enforced to the letter to forestall another motor-park crisis. He noted that three people died while about eight vehicles were destroyed in the clash between rival motor-park touts.
According to Aderanti, “the crisis is not political and not as bad as the media painted it. All the principal characters are in custody. Today, we arraigned 18 of them and they are already in jail. Tomorrow, another 18 will be arraigned.
“I'm not talking about the foot soldiers but their leaders that are causing the mayhem; what we need to do is to get the arrowheads off, then all the foot soldiers can be tackled easily.
“Now we are going after the gatekeepers that are encouraging young people to violence. By the time we destroy their command structure, we can then have peace in that area.
“Oshodi is a major hub and we have to be very careful in securing the area. We have picked up to 40 of them and by tomorrow, I've given ultimatum to one of the leaders of the group to turn himself in before we declare him wanted.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, during on-the-spot assessment of the scene of the crisis at MafeojonMotor Park, Oshodi, gave the Oshodi branch Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), an ultimatum to report to the police within 24 hours.
Aderanti threatened to declare the eNURTW chairman, who was simply identified as Oluomo, wanted if he failed to hand himself to the police.
According to him, the police want the surrender himself to the police to enable him explain his role in the crisis that has claimed lives and property.
Warning that he would not tolerate further crisis from NURTW or hoodlums, he said the chairman must fish out those who committed the dastardly act, so that there would be a lasting solution to the crises.
He said the policemen deployed to restore peace in the volatile area would remain in the park and its surroundings until the crisis was over.
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