NURTW protest: Lagos police deploy ‘massive’ patrol teams

The Lagos State Police Command on Wednesday assured Lagosians to go about their daily activities without fear, saying it has deployed “massive” patrol teams in every nook and cranny of the state to forestall the breakdown of law and order.

 

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the Command received unconfirmed reports that aggrieved members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers planned a protest in strategic places in the state.

 

He said, “We cannot take chances. We have done massive deployment of police patrol teams to every nook and cranny including parks and garages in the state. There is no cause for alarm.”

 

An official of the union did not return calls and text messages as of the time of filing this report.

 

The national body of the union last Thursday had suspended its Lagos State Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, following weeks of protracted conflict and leadership tussle.

 

Akinsanya subsequently announced his withdrawal and that of lieutenants from the union. He also directed them to stop issuing NURTW tickets at parks and garages.

 

He further asked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to take over the running of all parks and garages in the state till peace returned to the union.

 

Sanwo-Olu later suspended the activities of NURTW from all parks and garages with immediate effect and set up a committee to immediately take control of the parks and garages.

 

The Lagos State Council Group of Elders of NURTW, also,  in a letter on Monday, asked the national body of the union in Abuja to withdraw the suspension of Akinsanya within seven days.