Drivers, Police Clash In Ekiti

Commercial drivers operating under the umbrella of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and men of Ekiti State Police Command engaged in a violent clash for several hours in Ado-Ekiti, weekend

The face-off was allegedly caused by the refusal of a police officer to pay N300 transport fare from Akure to Ado Ekiti.
The driver of the 18-seater bus was said to have insisted that the cop must pay his fare like other passengers
The policeman, who was said to be armed, allegedly fired a shot at the bus shattering the rare windshield, which attracted other drivers from nearby, who joined their colleague to beat up the policeman.
After the telling-off by the other drivers and the co-passengers, the policeman, a Sergeant, was said to have reported the case to his colleagues at his police station.
According to the report, the policemen mobilised to the motor-park located in Ajilosun and started shooting sporadically.
The action of the policemen was said to have forced the drivers and commuters at the park to flee into the bush, as the policemen dealt with the drivers that were not fortunate to escape.
The source revealed that as the policemen were firing the shots, the commercial drivers were also replying with dangerous missiles like stones, broken bottles and iron rods, brandishing cutlasses and axes.
Several people were said to have sustained serious injuries in the ensuing melee.
Motorists going towards Ijigbo from the old garage had to make a detour at Irona to escape through the GRA side, while those coming from Ajilosun towards Ijigbo passed through Moferere to Agric at Odo Ado.
But later in the day, the Special Assistant on Internal Security to the Governor, Mr Deji Adesokan, was said to have visited the park and pleaded with the drivers to give peace a chance, Adesokan was said to have promised to take up the matter personally with the governor.
Efforts made to reach out to the NURTW Chairman of the state, Chief Julius Jegede, were unsuccessful as all his telephone lines were switched off.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr Victor Babayemi, confirmed the incident , saying police was still investigating the cause of the matter.
“ The Command is aware of the incident, but the cause of the matter is still sketchy. We are going to give you the full detail as soon as we conclude our investigation,” he said.

 

 Source: Vanguard