The National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW ) has again raised alarm over plan by the leadership of Lagos State Park Management Committee to stage a violent protest against the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) over the crisis in the union.
The General Secretary of the Union, Comrade Anthony Chukwudi Asogwa disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
He said the intelligence report available to the union indicated that some leadership of the Lagos State Park Management Committee have perfected a plan to mobilize some thugs and hoodlums from the state to Abuja the nation’s capital on Tuesday August 5th 2023 to stage a violent protest and foment trouble in the name of the union.
Asogwa said the plan was to make the hoodlums wear the uniform of the union and disguised as members and unleash terror on the residents of the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ).
According to him ” Again we want to notify the security agencies and general public the plot by some leaders of Lagos State Park Management Committee to hire thugs from Lagos to stage a protest against the leadership of Nigerian Labour Congress ( NLC ) over the crisis in the union.
” We have it on good authority that they are on their way to Abuja with the aim to cause confusion and crisis in the city.
” We are using this medium to call on the Nigerian Police Force , Department of State Services ( DSS ) and other security agencies to rise up to the occasion and deal decisively with anybody who is planning to cause a crisis in the name of the union in the city.
” We wish to state clearly that they are not representing our union and we are not party to such a protest . We are law abiding citizens and our members will not descend so low to cause confusion and breakdown of law and order ”
It would be recalled that the national secretariat of the NURTW was violently taken over by some members of Park Management Committee from South West when they attacked the National President, Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, members of National Administrative Council and staff despite the presence of armed policemen deployed to maintain law and order.
The situation forced the Nigeria Labour Congress to issue a 48 hours ultimatum to the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun to order his officers to vacate the premises of the secretariat noting that the action was tantamount to a coup against a democratically elected President of the union.
