It was a battle of supremacy between the two associations.
At least three persons have reportedly been killed and many others injured as members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) clashed at Mile 2 area in Lagos State.
It was learnt that it was a battle of supremacy between the two associations.
It was reported that three RTEAN members were shot dead on Wednesday night by armed men suspected to be members of the National NURTW.
However, the two unions have been summoned by Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, to an emergency meeting holding on Friday.
The armed NURTW members were said to have invaded the RTEAN park at about 9.15pm in an ongoing violent clash over toll collection from truck drivers in the Apapa ports.
According to a source, an earlier attack on Tuesday reportedly left 15 RTEAN members with gunshot injuries at the Tin-Can First gate and Fagbems Gas station on the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway.
It was gathered that before now, RTEAN issued ticket to its members who are truck drivers, but NURTW was said to have allegedly forced its way into the toll collection from truck drivers. In the process, NURTW was said to have increased the price to N2000.
The source said RTEAN was said to have kicked against NURTW’s involvement, as it argued that NURTW had never been part of the toll collection from onset and that truck drivers were members of RTEAN.
It was further gathered that the Lagos State Government waded into the matter and ordered the stoppage of issuance and collection of ticket and money by the two transport unions.
Speaking with Daily Sun on the invasion of their park on Tuesday night, Vice Chairman of RTEAN in Lagos State, Comrade Adeola Adeyemi, said, “As I speak to you, I am at Area ‘E’ Command, Festac, to incident the murder case against members of the NURTW. I have also officially written to the Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Mr Toyin Fayinka, on the attack. We are still waiting to hear from him.”
Part of the petition to Fayinka reads, “ I write to officially brief you about the incessant attacks on my life, business and Union by NURTW members under the leadership of the Chairman NURTW Branch ‘C’, Amuwo Odofin, Prince Ajele Abebi Abayomi, aka ‘Ikomodina.”
“I am a man of dual role a legitimate truck owner who owns 15 trucks and a bona fide RTEAN member. On Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at about 9:15 P.M NURTW members again launched another attack on RTEAN Truck Park Mile 2 killing three and injuring 30 people with guns and machetes.
“Based on the attacks, I seek the prompt intervention of the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Transportation and Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation in finding a lasting solution to the attacks by NURTW members.”