Seven killed, many injured as NURTW leadership crisis turns bloody

Get Best Daily Health Tips Here

At least seven persons have been killed while many were seriously injured as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers clashed in Effin, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Though details of what led to the clash were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, a source in the community said the clash is an escalation of a leadership crisis in the union.

The source said the faction of the union from Effin clashed with the faction from Ezza Effium over sharing formula for the revenue generated from the park.

He said the clashes spiked into the community leading to casualties on both sides.

Houses, cars and other properties were also torched as the crisis spilled over into the community.

There was pandemonium in the community as the crisis escalated with many deserting the community to neighbouring communities.

Also, health workers and staff of the National Population Commission who were on assignment in the area were cut in the crossfire.

Following the incident, Ebonyi State Government announced a ban on activities of the Union in Effuim Motor Park in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Conflict Resolution in the state, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha, announced the ban in Abakaliki, yesterday.

Emegha said the clashes engulfed the entire Effuim and Ezza Effusion communities because the Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers in the area allowed politicians to meddle into the affairs of the union.

He said that Ohaukwu Local Government authorities would be mandated to take over the park where the incident emanated from.

“It was not something that happened on the grounds of IPOB, neither was it a politically related matter; it was a national transport union case dragging the leadership of a motor park.

“It has been a matter I handled earlier before this time directing that National Union of Road Transport Workers is an organisation recognised by the federal government but has no right in our motor park because we discovered that what they were doing was not in tandem with the peace effort of the state government”, he said

The commissioner said all government personnel on special national assignments in the community, who were trapped by the crisis, had been rescued while the area was calm, following the deployment of security men.