Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed
Pandemonium broke out in Ajasse, Kwara State, on Saturday when members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers stormed the Ilorin/Ajasse Ipo Highway in protest against the killing of the NURTW chairman in Kabba/Omu Aran/Igbaja area of the state, Mr. Akeem Laduba.
The highway is a busy route to Abuja, Kogi State, Ekiti State, Osun State and other parts of the country.
An eyewitness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told journalists that trouble started when an unnamed police officer, who was part of a patrol team that mounted a road block at Ajasse, allegedly shot Laduba on Friday.
He added that Laduba only intervened to plead for a commercial motorcyclist who was in a disagreement with the patrol team.
The source said the police officers were allegedly enraged by what they perceived as Laduba’s ‘effrontery,’ leading to an escalation of the disagreement.
He added that the altercation degenerated into a free-for-all.
According to him, in the process, one of the policemen shot at and killed the NURTW chairman. The injured transporter was said to have died at an undisclosed hospital where he was taken to.
Following Laduba’s death, the aggrieved NURTW members on Saturday stormed the Ajase-Ipo highway and disrupted vehicular movement on the road in protest against the killing.
They were said to have forced motorists to use leaves in sympathy for Laduba and in solidarity for the protesting transporters who stayed on the road till afternoon.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the killing.
He, however, said the police officer did not intentionally shot at and killed the NURTW chairman. He said the patrol team also rushed the victim to the hospital before he died.
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