Five hospitalised as transport unions clash in Kwara

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Pandemonium broke out in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Monday as members of rival transport unions clashed, leaving more than five persons injured and hospitalised.

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PUNCH Online gathered that the violence, which disrupted activities around the Idi-Araba and Itakudimo areas of the metropolis, was said to have followed an alleged attack on the office of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, as residents and motorists fled the area when the situation escalated.

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A resident, Mubaraq Bello, said the disturbance began when some youths arrived in tricycles, armed with cutlasses and other weapons, and moved towards the NARTO office.

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“We were at home when we suddenly saw some youths alighting from tricycles with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons before moving towards the NARTO office. Some of them started throwing stones at the building, and that was when the situation became tense”, Bello told our correspondent.

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A member of NARTO, Abubakar Olatunbosun, accused members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria and the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria of attacking members of his association.

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Olatunbosun alleged that the attack occurred as NARTO members were heading to the Kwara State Police Headquarters to seek intervention over the dispute. “We were on our way to the police headquarters when we were attacked by members of the other unions. More than 100 tricycles belonging to our members have also been seized, and we are appealing to the state government to intervene before the situation gets out of hand,” Olatunbosun said.

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He added that the association would not resort to self-help, insisting that its members had chosen to pursue redress through lawful means. “We respect the law, and we will not take the law into our own hands. Kwara has always been known as a peaceful state, and we do not want this matter to degenerate further,” he stated.

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Two persons injured during the violence, Abdulwasiu Jamiu and Lukman Iyanda, also alleged that their tricycles were forcefully taken from them. Jamiu alleged that several tricycle operators were attacked and injured during the clash. “They attacked us, took away our tricycles and injured some of our members,” Jamiu said.

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Iyanda, who was said to have sustained an injury to his hand, alleged that he was attacked while operating his tricycle at Itakudimo. “I was working with my tricycle at Itakudimo when I was attacked. My hand was injured during the incident,” he said.

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The clash came amid growing tension over the operation of tricycles and the activities of transport unions in parts of the state.

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The Financial Secretary of the Kwara State Tricycle Riders, Abdullahi Abdulraheem, in a video obtained by PUNCH Online, alleged that tricycles operating on major roads in the state were being seized following a directive allegedly issued by the Commissioner for Transportation, Aliyu Korasabi.

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Abdulraheem said the alleged development had prevented many riders from carrying out their daily business and earning a living.

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“We have chosen to work for our daily bread. We do not want to engage in theft, banditry or any other illegal activity, but we are being deprived of the opportunity to work. The seizure of our tricycles has become a serious problem for our members, whose livelihoods depend on this business,” Abdulraheem said.

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He further claimed that a court had previously ruled that tricycle operators should be allowed to operate without harassment or interference. “We have a court order that allows us to operate without disturbance from any agency or authority, and we are calling on the Kwara State Government to intervene before this matter escalates,” he said.

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Another tricycle operator, Mustapha Abdulateef, alleged that the rising cost of union tickets, police harassment and other challenges faced by riders had contributed to the decision of some operators to join NARTO.

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“The cost of tickets we pay, coupled with police harassment and other challenges on the road, made some of us decide to join a union that we believe can better protect our interests. The government should allow tricycle operators to belong to any union of their choice,” Abdulateef said.

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He also alleged that officials of the state Ministry of Transportation disrupted a meeting of riders and damaged office equipment, parked tricycles, mobile phones and other valuables. Abdulateef said NARTO had also been assisting unemployed youths to acquire tricycles through instalment payments, describing the arrangement as a means of creating jobs and supporting livelihoods.

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“We are only trying to create opportunities for unemployed youths through the tricycle business. We have a court order recognising our right to operate independently, and we should not be intimidated or prevented from carrying out our legitimate business,” Abdulateef added.

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However, the Kwara State Ministry of Transportation denied allegations of intimidation, bias and preferential treatment in the dispute, insisting that it had maintained a neutral position among the transport unions operating in the state.

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The ministry, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Press Secretary, Alabere Ahmed, described the allegations as unfounded and an attempt to cast aspersions on its integrity.

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The Commissioner for Transportation, Korasabi, also expressed concern over what the ministry described as a late-night visit by some NARTO members to its premises.

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“I wish to reiterate that the Ministry of Transportation has no arrangement or special treatment for any transport union in the state. As a government, our sole mandate is to continue coordinating the operations of all transport sectors in a lawful and equitable manner”, Korasabi said.

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The commissioner said the disagreement involving NARTO, the NURTW, RTEAN and TOAN had been addressed on several occasions by the ministry in the presence of relevant stakeholders and government officials. He said efforts to resolve the dispute amicably had yet to produce a final resolution, prompting NARTO to seek legal redress.

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According to Korasabi, the matter is still before a court, which he said had directed the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case. The ministry also denied carrying out the impoundment of tricycles reported earlier on Monday, saying the action was not undertaken at its instance.

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It said the impoundment followed actions by other parties involved in the court case amid what it described as an initial disregard of the subsisting court injunction by NARTO. The ministry said the intervention of the police prevented the disagreement from escalating into a wider confrontation.

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It added that the affected tricycles were taken into custody as a precautionary measure to prevent possible loss, damage or theft while the dispute remained unresolved.

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The state government urged the public to disregard what it described as unsubstantiated allegations against the ministry and cautioned against demonstrations at government premises while the matter remained before the court.

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The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to fair and equitable treatment of all transport unions, adding that it would continue to pursue peaceful engagement and an orderly transportation system in the state.

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