The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria has blamed the struggle for the control of a garage for the fight at Obalende area of Lagos State on Thursday, between its members and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers.
FirstNews reports that the fight at Obalende on Thursday, created tension in the area, before police intervened and arrested six suspected hoodlums responsible for the fracas between the two road workers unions.
RTEAN Publicity Secretary, Abdulrahman Amusan, speaking to newsmen on the matter, said that NURTW members made efforts to displace RTEAN members from Obalende Motor Park Park, which according to him, RTEAN area of operations. He, therefore, called on the state government to urgently intervene in the matter.
He said, “We want the Lagos State government to, as a matter of urgency, intervene in the matter. We are for peace, we have been working in Obalende for many years without any problem.
“We are owners, we are not touts, we love and cherish peace. We want our members to maintain peace and ensure law and order no matter the provocations.”
Speaking on the cause of the fight, RTEAN spokesman said, “We have been working at Obalende for a long time. All of a sudden, on Monday, members of the NURTW encroached into the area of our operations of RTEAN.
“This morning when they came, they met with resistance from our members there, and that led to the fracas. We had been co-existing for so many years.”
Meanwhile, Musliu Akinsanya, the state NURTW Chairman, (aka MC Oluomo), claimed that the fight occurred because members of RTEAN attacked NURTW members in a bid to take over the motor park.