BY Emma Amaize & Godwin Oghre
SAPELE — THREE members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Sapele, in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, were injured and one, Mudiaga Kevwe, missing, in a gun duel between two factions of the union, weekend.
Several vehicles parked along Okpe Road, Sapele were smashed by the armed combatants, who also destroyed signboards and security lights of some corporate organisations, including Sizzlers Fast Food, Sapele.
People ran helter-skelter for their dear lives as guns, cutlasses, battle axes, knives and other dangerous weapons were freely used. There was still uneasy calm in Sapele, Sunday, as the policemen patrolled the town.
The reason for the clash was still foggy, but chairman of the NURTW, Sapele, Mr Oghenevo Abeke, said violence was unleashed on him and his members by agents of a former government security official, who wanted to stop him from running the motor park at all cost.
Vanguard learnt that members of the Abeke-led NURTW had gone into hiding as the other group was allegely bent on dislodging them from the park but Abeke, who confirmed that injury was inflicted on three of his members, said he would not give up the park to anybody.
A source, however, said the order to stop the operations of the park run by Abeke was given by the NURTW, Asaba, but Abeke, claiming that the decision was based on political considerations, refused to comply with the order, leading to the use of force.
The former security adviser was alleged to have deployed his boys to sack Abeke from the park and Abeke, who seems to be at the receiving end had sent a Save Our Soul to the police to come to his rescue before his life would be terminated.
He confirmed he had forwarded a petition to the Inspector General of Police over the attack on him.
A similar crisis occurred, last month, in Sapele NURTW, which resulted in the hospitalization of some persons, and with the latest crisis, it is obvious that no no lesson has been learnt.
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3 injured, 1 missing in Sapele NURTW clash