Road Transport Workers Threaten Violent Showdown With Police In Oyo

 Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo state have advised the Nigeria Police Force to warn its officers against collecting undue fees from them to avert a violent protest in the state. 

NURTW said though the officers are not collecting money from them directly, they have been using third parties to extort money from them.

Speaking with SaharaReporters the leader of the aggrieved NURTW members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the police are using agents in conjunction with members of the state's Park Manager System (PMS) to extort money from them.

Governor Seyi Makinde had in 2019 proscribed the NURTW and replaced it with PMS.

The transporter said, "This is not a mere threat; we are dying and action must be taken. I pray we don't experience what we had during the #EndSARS protests gain because our people are not happy. 

"What they (police) normally do is to engage some boys among the park managers. They will stay close to them as they collect money from commercial drivers.

"Since we cannot bear the brunt, we have had to increase fares, which is not beneficial to our members. Our members are planning a massive movement which could lead to bloodshed. That is why we are appealing to Makinde and the state Commisioner of Police to caution their men. We cannot continue this way," he said.

He noted that some members of the NURTW are guilty of not having their vehicle particulars intact and overloading their vehicles, "but even if you have all your papers, the police have ways of indicting our members".