Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) on Monday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo, Osun State, over alleged maltreatment, killings and abuse of power within the transport unions, calling for the immediate arrest and prosecution of some union leaders.
The protesters specifically accused the Osun State Chairman of the NURTW, Alhaji Nurudeen Alowonle, and a factional leader of the RTEAN, Mr. Akeem Kareem, of actions they alleged had fuelled violence and insecurity in the state’s transport sector. They also appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to identify and prosecute all criminal elements operating within the unions to restore lasting peace.
The demonstrators converged at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park at about 8:00 a.m. before marching through Old Garage, MDS, Olaiya and Gbodofon areas of Osogbo. They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Alowonle Has Become a Threat to Public Security,” “Government Should Stop Protecting Criminals,” “Alowonle Must Be Brought to Book,” and “The Death of a One-Year-Old Baby Is Still Fresh in Our Hearts.”
Speaking with journalists, the factional Secretary of the RTEAN in Osun State, Mr. Akeem Kareem, popularly known as “Imported,” alleged that the state chairman of the association, Mr. Jelili Abioye, had become partisan and was not giving adequate attention to the welfare of members.
Also addressing the protesters, the factional Secretary of the NURTW, Alhaji Fatai Oyegoke, alleged that Governor Ademola Adeleke imposed Alhaji Nurudeen Alowonle as the state chairman of the union. He claimed the union had become a political tool used to harass and intimidate members with opposing views and called on security agencies to investigate the allegations and bring those responsible to justice.
In his remarks, the Director of Mobilisation of the Local Government Development Initiative, a civil society organisation, Mr. Orelolu Abidoye, expressed concern over what he described as the takeover of parks and garages in the state by hoodlums. He urged the government to take decisive action to restore sanity and protect the lives and property of residents.
Police personnel from the Violent Crime Protection Unit were deployed to monitor the protest, which ended peacefully without any reported breach of public order.
