Two killed, Many Injured as Transport Unions Clash in Lagos

Rebecca Ejifoma

Two persons were killed and many injured yesterday  in a bloody fracas between members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) at Iyana-Iba in the Ojo  Local Government Area of Lagos State.

According to sources, trouble started  after the members couldn’t find a common ground on who would control the different parks since the old ones were removed to make way for the ongoing reconstruction of the Mile 2/Badagry expressway.

Eyewitness account also has it that members of NURTW, who were originally displaced by the exit of MC Oluomo as the state chairman, tried to stage a comeback in the area. However, the members of RTEAN resisted.

Following the disagreement, reports have it that chaos erupted at Under Bridge at Iyana-Iba, vehicles and other properties were said to have been destroyed on the Mile2/Badagry Express road.

The warring factions were said to have deployed dangerous weapons including guns and cutlasses among others.

This compounded the usual heavy vehicular traffic on that road, as drivers and pedestrians plying the route made U-turns for safety.

Meanwhile, the State Police Spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that normalcy has been restored to the area.

While noting that no death was recorded in the scuffle, Hundeyin added that the crisis was between two factions of the RTEAN.