Posted by By JULIANA FRANCIS, WOLE BALOGUN and FEMI SAKIRU on
Commercial activities were crippled at the Agege area of Lagos Monday, when members of two factions of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) engaged in a bloody fight, destroying properties worth millions of naira.
Commercial activities were crippled at the Agege area of Lagos Monday, when members of two factions of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) engaged in a bloody fight, destroying properties worth millions of naira.
The fight, which started at about 7a.m., was said to have forced traders to close shops, while commuters scampered for safety as members of the two factions, armed with bottles, cutlasses and cudgels, confronted each other. Several passes-by were said to have sustained injuries in the fracas.
According to eye-witnesses, the fight started when a faction of the union attempted to overwhelm the other in a leadership tussle over toll collection.
Police spokesman, Olubode Ojajuni, explained that the clash was a leadership tussle. He revealed that leaders of both factions and about six of their men had been arrested and were with the Commissioner of Police, Mr Emmanuel Adebayo, undergoing interrogation.
Ojajuni added that about three people who were caught in the act had also been held and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, for further investigation.
While stressing that no life was lost, Ojajuni revealed that the situation was restored to normalcy when the state police boss sent armed policemen from Mopol units 20 and 22 to restore peace to the area. He, however, added that some people were wounded. Ojajuni stressed that calm had already been restored to the area as mobile policemen had taken over the trouble spot.