NURTW, RTEAN factions protest in Osun over alleged motor park violence

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

Members of factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), alongside representatives of a civil society group and students, on Monday staged protests across major motor parks in Osun State, calling on the police and other security agencies to address alleged insecurity and investigate recent violence linked to the transport unions.

The protesters declared that they had lost confidence in the leadership of the factional chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Nurudeen Alowonle, and the factional chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Comrade Jelili Abioye.

The protesters, who converged on major motor parks in Osogbo, carried placards demanding the arrest of the NURTW factional chairman, Alowonle, alleging that his activities had crippled transportation businesses and affected the livelihoods of transport workers in the state.

Speaking with journalists, the factional Secretary of the NURTW, Alhaji Fatai Oyegoke, said transport operators had been unable to carry out their businesses because of fear arising from recent attacks.

Oyegoke said, “For the past five days, Sikiru Oyeniyi, also known as Ado Igbona, and Alowonle were alleged to have spearheaded the killing of Adelodun Olamilekan Lateef and many others. As a result, there have been retaliatory attacks across motor parks in Osun. We have been living in fear and can no longer carry out our transportation business”.

He urged the police to intensify efforts to arrest Alowonle and Sikiru Oyeniyi, alleging that they were behind the recent killings that had created panic and heightened security concerns across motor parks in the state.

Also speaking, the Director of Mobilisation of the Local Government Development Initiative (LGDI), Comrade Omololu Abidoye, alleged that Adelodun Olamilekan Lateef, whom he identified as a member of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), as well as an elderly man and a toddler, were among those killed during the violence.

The factional Secretary of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Osun State, Akeem Kareem, also accused the state government of bias in the handling of the affairs of transport unions, alleging that members not aligned with the ruling party were being treated unfairly.