There was sporadic shooting as motorcycle riders and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers clashed at the Iyana-Iba-Ojo axis of Lagos State on Monday.
It was gathered that during the incident, which happened near the Lagos State University, passers-by scampered to safety.
An eyewitness, identified simply as Ibrahim, told PUNCH that the clash started around 08 am.
He said, “The situation is due to a clash between motorcycle riders and members of the National Union of NURTW. The clash has spread to the Alaba-Rago area — directly opposite LASU — and the popular Volks bus stop.
“The road is currently blocked, and unsafe for movement. Gunshots were also heard.
“The clash ensued between Okada riders and NURTW workers. While discharging their ticketing duty, there was a disagreement between the duo that led to the death of one person.
“Soldiers intervened to secure peace and dispersed them with tear gas but the aggrieved parties retreated, only for the Okada men to troop back to Volks to challenge the NURTW members.”
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Adejobi Olumuyiwa in a statement said normalcy has returned to the area.
According to the statement, “The Lagos State Police Command has restored normalcy to the Iyana Iba/Alaba Rago and Ojo areas of the state where there was a disagreement between the members of the transport unions, okada units precisely, on the increment in tariff today, Monday 26th April, 2021.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered for immediate deployment of additional police personnel to the area to maintain law and order as he also directed the Area Commander, Area E Festac, to personally be on ground to monitor the situation and invite the leaders of the affected Okada riders unit for an urgent meeting.
“The Command wishes to debunk the rumor that the disgreement, not violence as being peddled in the social media, was between some ethnic groups. Without mincing words, the incident has no ethic colouration whatsoever but a mere conflict between transport unions and their okada units on ticketing and increment in tariff.
“The Command therefore enjoins members of the public, especially those around the areas, including the students of the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, to go about their lawful businesses and studies respectively, as adequate deployment has been done to fortify security in the axis and by extension, in Lagos State in general. ”
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