NURTW clash: Police arrest suspect after gun duel

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

Following the clash between factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in Osun State, the state police command has arrested a suspect, Adedeji Saheed, 40, over the violent clash.

Addressing newsmen at the command headquarters in Osogbo on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, represented by the command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the suspect was arrested at Oke-Ijetu area, where the suspect and others at large were grouping to unleash mayhem on the public.

He said the police received intel at about 5:30pm on Monday evening about hoodlums shooting sporadically into the air at the area, and a police unit from the Violence Crime Response Unit, VCRU, was dispatched to the area.

“On getting to the scene, the suspects engaged police in a gun duel during which three operatives sustained various degrees of injuries. However, the hoodlums suspected to belong to the Wakili Nurudeen faction of the NURTW were subdued.

“One Adedeji Saheed was arrested with a pump action, six expended cartridges, a military camouflage was recovered, four vehicles and four motorcycles were also recovered with charms. The suspect is helping with the investigation on how to recover other weapons and arrest the fleeing suspects”, he added.

Fielding questions from newsmen, Saheed said he is the NURTW chairman of Idi-seke motor park and belonged to the Alowonle faction, and their gathering at Ijetu was to resist the attempt to take over motor parks by the Kazeem Oyewale faction.

“We were mobilised by our leaders through our platform to converge at Ijetu area. But on getting there, Sibi, chairman of a park in Ile-Ife, brought pump action guns and more of our boys gathered around.

“Alowonle, who was not physically present, called on the phone to tell us to stay put until he got further instructions, but suddenly police operatives stormed the scene, and we were not happy with their presence since they failed to stop the other faction.

“Our guys started shooting at them; the police operatives responded and later arrested me with a pump action. The gun belonged to Sibi; I didn’t know how to shoot a gun. I held it when he wanted to wrap hemp,” the suspect added.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police tasked residents to always provide credible information to the police with a view to stopping crime and criminals in any part of the state.