DETECTIVES in Ondo have arrested nine members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Ondo town branch  and their rival National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) over a bloody clash.

They are presently detained at the Police headquarters in Akure.
Four persons including Vice-chairman of the RTEAN Alhaji Alimi Arowosola were seriously injured in the clash.
Those injured are on admission at the emergency ward of the State Specialist Hospital in Ondo town.

A source alleged that members of the NURTW led by a  branch chairman of a unit attacked the other group within the premises of the Enuowa divisional police station in Ondo town at about 9 am.

Our source alleged that the  RTEAN members  were in the police station to lodge a complaint about their vehicles which were vandalized by the members of the NURTW, at Awoyaya area on the
outskirt of Ondo/Ore road in Ondo town.

Saturday Vanguard was informed that the vehicles were reportedly seized following the refusal of the NURTW to allow members of the other group  to carry passengers from Ondo town to Ore and Lagos state.

The attackers allegedly  came in  two Hummer Toyota buses to unleash mayhem at the station and inflicted injuries on the union members.

Dangerous  weapons such as  bottles, cudgels and sticks were freely used by the warring groups.
The NURTW branch chairman of the union, Mr Dele Mallah declined comment.

Leaders of both unions have besieged the Enuowa police station in the town to explain to the Divisional Police Officer  Ebenezer Adegalu the cause of the bloody clash while broken bottles and sticks  littered the whole places.

Following the clash in the police station, a  patrol van of the Special Ant-robbery Squad (SARS) has been stationed at the police station with stern looking policemen.

Nine members of the two drivers union have been arrested and taken to the appropriate section in Akure, the capital of Ondo State.

Police Image Maker  Wole Ogodo confirmed the clash but added that his office is yet to be properly briefed. Leaders of both groups traded blames on who the aggressor was.

However, they called on the security operatives and the state government to investigate the crisis.