Osun ALGON suspends transport unions as police take over motor parks

The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Osun State Chapter, on Monday, suspended the activities of all transport unions in public motor parks across the State as the Nigeria Police Force deployed operatives to motor parks following violent clashes linked to the leadership crisis in the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The decision came after factions of the NURTW and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), alongside civil society groups and students, staged protests across major motor parks in Osogbo over alleged insecurity. The protest was followed by reports of sporadic gunshots around the Old Garage and Ota-Efun areas of the state capital, forcing residents and commuters to flee.

Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, Lanre Balogun, ALGON Vice Chairman and Chairman of Ilesa East Local Government, said the suspension of transport unions became necessary because motor parks had become flashpoints for incessant violence and killings, allegedly arising from the leadership crisis within the NURTW.

He alleged that the crisis had been accompanied by criminal activities that now threaten commuters, transport operators and residents, adding that recent incidents, including the killing of a toddler and the shooting of an elderly man, had heightened public fear and eroded confidence in the motor park system, which remains the major means of transportation across the state.

Balogun said the association had also asked the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to immediately take over all public motor parks and garages in the 30 local government areas and the Ife East Area Office, Modakeke, to protect lives and property.

He further urged the police to intensify efforts to arrest NURTW factional chairman, Nurudeen Alowonle, and other persons allegedly connected with the recent killings.

“Our motor parks have gradually become criminal hideouts and are no longer safe for members of the public. Consequently, people are beginning to lose confidence in the park and garage system, which remains the primary means of transportation across the state. While we are still grappling with these security challenges, another protest erupted today in motor parks and garages across the state, creating tension and panic before the timely intervention of the Nigeria Police Force.

“If the Governor chooses political considerations over public safety, we, as elected Local Government Chairmen, cannot fold our arms and allow facilities under our lawful authority to become threats to peace and security”, he said.

He maintained that the administration and management of public motor parks are constitutional responsibilities of local government councils under Paragraph 1(e) of the Fourth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.

Also in a statement, the Osun State Police Command said the clashes broke out after members of one NURTW faction alleged that they were prevented from taking their vehicles into a motor park by the dominant faction.

The Command said it responded to a distress call by deploying operatives who used minimal force to disperse the protesters and restore order, while officers have been stationed at motor parks across the state to prevent further breakdown of law and order.

DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the Police Public Relations Officer, called on members of the rival transport unions to cease hostilities and embrace dialogue.

Earlier in the day, protesters from factions of the NURTW and RTEAN had demanded Police intervention over alleged insecurity in motor parks, claiming that the crisis had disrupted transport businesses and endangered the lives of operators and commuters.

They also called for the arrest of Alowonle and other persons they alleged were linked to recent killings.

Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke has called on security agencies to arrest Kazeem Oyewole a.k.a Asiri Eniba and other APC thugs who are allegedly leading the attacks on the motor parks.

The governor, in a statement by Olawale Rasheed, his Chief Press Secretary, questioned what manner of protest targeted innocent commuters at motor parks, saying that his administration might review its support for NURTW at Osun motor parks.