Violence Among Transport Unions in Ilorin Injures Five

Chaos erupted in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, on Monday as rival transport unions clashed. This fighting left over five people injured and needing hospital care.

PUNCH Metro learned on Tuesday that the violence disrupted activities around the Idi-Araba and Itakudimo areas. It reportedly started after an alleged attack on the office of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO). Residents and drivers quickly fled the area as the situation worsened.

A resident, Mubaraq Bello, shared that the trouble began when some young men arrived in tricycles, armed with cutlasses and other weapons. They moved toward the NARTO office.

"We were at home when we suddenly saw some youths getting out of tricycles with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons before moving to the NARTO office," Bello told our reporter.

"Some of them started throwing stones at the building, and that was when the situation became tense," he added.

A NARTO member, Abubakar Olatunbosun, accused members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria, and the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria of attacking his group. Olatunbosun said that the attack happened while NARTO members were on their way to the Kwara State Police Headquarters to request help with the dispute.

"We were on our way to the police headquarters when we were attacked by members of the other unions," he said.

"More than 100 tricycles belonging to our members have also been seized, and we are appealing to the state government to step in before the situation gets worse," Olatunbosun added.

He stated that the association would not respond with violence, insisting that his members want to resolve the issue legally. "We respect the law, and we will not take the law into our own hands. Kwara has always been known as a peaceful state, and we do not want this matter to escalate," he said.

Two people hurt in the clash, Abdulwasiu Jamiu and Lukman Iyanda, alleged that their tricycles were taken from them by force. Jamiu claimed that many tricycle operators were also attacked and injured during the fight.

"They attacked us, took away our tricycles, and injured some of our members," Jamiu said. Iyanda, who hurt his hand, said he was attacked while working with his tricycle at Itakudimo.

"I was working with my tricycle at Itakudimo when I was attacked. My hand was injured during the incident," he said.

The clash comes amid rising tensions over tricycle operations and the activities of transport unions in the state. The Financial Secretary of the Kwara State Tricycle Riders, Abdullahi Abdulraheem, in a video obtained by PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, claimed that tricycles on major roads were being seized due to a directive from the Commissioner for Transportation, Aliyu Korasabi.

Abdulraheem said this situation has stopped many riders from doing their work and making a living. "We have chosen to work for our daily bread. We do not want to engage in theft, banditry, or any other illegal activity, but we are being deprived of the chance to work," he said.

"The seizure of our tricycles has become a serious problem for our members, whose livelihoods depend on this business," Abdulraheem added. He also claimed that a court had ruled that tricycle operators should work without harassment.

"We have a court order that allows us to operate without disturbance from any agency or authority, and we are calling on the Kwara State Government to intervene before this matter escalates," he said.

Another operator, Mustapha Abdulateef, said the rising cost of union fees, police harassment, and other issues have pushed some riders to join NARTO. "The cost of tickets we pay, coupled with police harassment and other challenges on the road, made some of us decide to join a union that we believe can better protect our interests," he said.

"The government should allow tricycle operators to belong to any union of their choice," Abdulateef added. He also claimed that officials from the state Ministry of Transportation disrupted a meeting of riders and damaged their properties.

Abdulateef said NARTO has been helping unemployed youths get tricycles through payment plans. "We are only trying to create opportunities for unemployed youths through the tricycle business," he said.

"We have a court order recognizing our right to operate independently, and we should not be intimidated or stopped from doing our legitimate business," Abdulateef added.

The Kwara State Ministry of Transportation denied claims of intimidation and bias in the dispute. In a statement on Tuesday, press secretary Alabere Ahmed called the allegations unfounded and an attack on the ministry's integrity.

Commissioner for Transportation, Aliyu Korasabi, expressed worry over what he called a late-night visit by some NARTO members to the ministry's office. "I wish to restate that the Ministry of Transportation has no special treatment for any transport union in the state," Korasabi said.

"As a government, our only job is to coordinate the operations of all transport sectors fairly and lawfully," he added. The commissioner said that the disagreement among NARTO, the NURTW, RTEAN, and TOAN has been discussed several times in the presence of stakeholders and government officials.

He said efforts to settle the dispute peacefully have not worked, leading NARTO to seek legal action. Korasabi noted that the case is still in court, which has instructed everyone to maintain the current situation until it is resolved.

The ministry also denied claims of tricycle seizures reported earlier on Monday, saying the action was taken by others involved in the court case. It said the police's involvement helped prevent the conflict from getting worse.

The state government urged the public to ignore what it called unproven allegations against the ministry and warned against protests at government offices while the case is still in court. The ministry promised to treat all transport unions fairly and will keep working towards a peaceful transport system in the state.