HOW ARMY, POLICE QUELLED OJO NURTW/OKADA FACE-OFF
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
The Iyana-Iba/Ojo environs of Lagos was thrown into pandemonium earlier today when the members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and commercial motorcycles (popularly called okada) riders engaged themselves in violent clashes. The clash was so severe that the Divisional Police Station Ojo had to request the support of the Commanding Officer 149 Battalion Ojo to quell the violence.
Speaking with members of the press on the Police/Army joint exercise, the HQ 9 Brigade Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Major A.K. Bello commenced: ‘Sequel to the violent crisis that broke out allegedly between commercial motorcyclists and members of NURTW around Iyano Iba Market near LASU earlier today, the Commanding Officer 149 Battalion Ojo received a request for support from the Divisional Police Station Ojo.’
‘The Commanding Officer sought and obtain the permission of the outgoing Commander 9 Brigade who is also the Coordinator of Operation MESA (a joint internal security outfit) in Lagos State Brigadier General Sale Kawugana who was on visit to Ojo Cantonment to draft soldiers on Operation MESA to the scene to assist the Police restore law and order as well as protect lives and properties of innocent citizens.’
On how the joint exercise succeeded in quelling the violence, Major Bello added: ‘The soldiers in conjunction with the Police immediately moved to the scene and successfully restored normalcy to the area to the admiration of many peace-loving citizens and motorists plying the Ojo – Badagry Express Road.’
He furthered that the Commander of the Battalion had directed soldiers to patrol the environment, ‘The commander also directed the soldiers to remain patrolling the area in conjunction with the Police until full normalcy and commercial activities are restored in the area.’
Meanwhile, in a press statement released and e-signed by the Lagos Police Command’s Spokesperson, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi stated that, “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 disagreement, 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.”
The joint operation of army and police has restored the confidence of law-abiding citizens and assured them to continue their business in the Ojo/Alaba/Iyana Iba environs.
