By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—There was pandemonium, yesterday, at the premise of the Edo State owned transport service, Edo Line, when angry workers of the company locked up Board members of the company, who were holding a meeting for over four hours.

The workers, who have been on strike for over six weeks, are insisting on the dissolution of the Board led by Chief Amos Osunbor and the payment of their salaries for the period they embarked on the strike action.

Reacting swiftly, the chairman of the Board, Chief Osunbor, who described the action of the workers as barbaric, said they were asking for his sack following his attempt to sanitize the company and make it a profit making venture for the state government.

Vanguard learnt that the drama started when six members of the Board, apart from the Chairman, arrived for the meeting at about 10am. It was said that the workers met them at the hall and queried what they were doing. The Board members explained that they were there for the usual meeting.

But to their surprise, the angry workers locked them inside the hall after disconnecting the electricity cables,  to ensure that they were kept in a hot room.

Their vehicles were not spared also, as the tyres were deflated by the workers. The Board members were held hostage till about 2pm, when policemen attached to Oba market, stormed the place, forced the doors open and rescued them.

Chief Osunbor, who expressed shock over the incident, said  “this kind of thing has never happened in this state.”

When I learnt about the incident because I was not at the meeting, I quickly informed the Chief of Staff to the Governor and the police at Oba market who went there to rescue my members.

They said they want their salaries for the six weeks they were on strike but the Board has no power to sign any cheque the only person that has the power is the Acting General Manager, Mr Enahoro, who the same workers locked up his office for the past two months.

“They are calling for dissolution of the Board because we recommended that every body should go then people will now apply so as to have dedicated workers on board.

When I was there twelve years ago, we were remitting N12million monthly to government because we blocked all the loopholes. When I was appointed in February we met a debt of N1billion and I insisted that we must do the right thing for that place to move forward. That was the only crime I committed” he stated.