The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State,
Olayinka Balogun, has given a two-day ultimatum to two rival transport
unions in the state to resolve their differences on the control of
motor parks and routes plied by their members or be sanctioned
Mr. Balogun gave the ultimatum on Tuesday in Ado
Ekiti while mediating in the dispute between the National Union of Road
Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of
Nigeria (RTEAN).
Last week, members of the union were engaged in a bloody clash that led to the death of two people.
The police chief advised the unions to operate a
shift system based on a drawn timetable in order to prevent clashes
between their members.
“What we are doing here is to ensure that the
lives and property of our people are secured. So to prevent further
breakdown of law and order, you should embrace the rotational system,”
Mr. Balogun said.
He, however, clarified that the new peace move is
not prejudice to the outcome of the case pending at the Supreme Court,
which had earlier been filed by one of the unions to determine the mode
of compliance to operational codes by any member of the unions.
“Go and draw the time table of how you are going to be plying those roads pending the outcome of the Supreme Court judgment.”
Mr. Balogun also called on leaders of the unions to appeal to their
members to remain peaceful during the forthcoming elections.
