IBADAN BOILS, AS OYO GOVT PROSCRIBES NURTW
Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala over the weekend announced the proscription of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and all its corporate activities with immediate effect.
The decision to proscribe the union according to Governor Akala, became imperative in view of the violent nature the crisis rocking the union had degenerated into,which had led to the destruction of properties.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Public Communications, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the governor instructed all the 33 local government chairmen in the state to henceforth coordinate the activities of the union at their various motor parks.
According to him: 'the proscription of the union's activities is in accordance with the powers vested on me through Section 62A of the Criminal Code, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
' It is totally unacceptable for any group to visit violence on the society and put lives and property of the good people of the state in danger. The present administration in the state will sustain the peaceful coexistence in Oyo State with all its might.'
He, therefore, instructed the state police command to come down forcefully on any of the factions found to have precipitated the crisis that erupted over the weekend. The leadership crisis rocking the state chapter of the NURTW took a new dimension at the weekend as members engaged one another in a bloody clash at major areas of the city where the activities of the union are concentrated.
The bloody clash was sequel to the preparation by the factional leader of the union, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (a.k.a. Tokyo) to allegedly take over the control of the union secretariat located at Olomi area from the embattled chairman, Alhaji Lateef Salako (a.k.a. Eleweomo) who the National Industrial Court (NIC), Abuja had last Wednesday in its judgment ordered to vacate the seat.
Daily Sun reliably gathered that Salako had vowed that nobody would force him out of the union secretariat, a decision which may have led to the clash. Dangerous weapons such as guns, cutlasses and charms were used by the members of the union in the clash, while sporadic gun shots continued for most part of the day in areas like Olomi, the union's secretariats on Iwo Road, Academy, Ojoo, Beere, Idi-Arere and other parts of the city where NURTW members are concentrated.
Meanwhile,the Oyo State Police Command had confirmed the arrest of 14 persons in connection with the bloody clash. They were arrested at Oremeji-Agugu, Aromolaran-Agugu and Iwo road, areas of Ibadan city.