NURTW: Lagos govt begs ‘Agberos’ to quit bloody combats
Lagos State Government has pleaded to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to end their unrest.
The government appealed to the union to desist from destruction, which gives credence to insinuations that Lagos allows hoodlums and criminals.
On Thursday, opposition gang members attacked each other, leaving many injured including traders and commuters.
One person is feared dead.
Guns, cutlasses, knives, clubs and dangerous weapons were openly used during the fracas that paralyzed business activities.
Parts of the Lagos Island including Idumota, Kosoko, Oluwole, Martins and Balogun witnessed the bloody clashes. The disturbance has spilt to Friday.
In a statement, Gbenga Oyerinde, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Central Business Districts urged warring factions to embrace peace.
Oyerinde attributed the violence to “infiltration of the area by street gangs and hoodlums from other parts of the state into the island under the guise of membership of NURTW”.
The aide noted that the government “is doing all within its power to restore the peace of the area”.
Oyerinde advised members of the public to be vigilant and security conscious while within the Lagos Island Business District.
“Security operatives have been mandated to arrest and prosecute anybody breaching the peace of the area”, he said.
Oyerinde further told security operatives not to be discouraged in their efforts to protect lives and property.
NURTW factions are known to frequently engage in free-for-all fights over power tussles at different locations and parks.
The Lagos government is accused of failing to arrest and prosecute the rioters.
