By Bose Adelaja
DAYS after two rival factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, engaged themselves  in a bloody clash  at the Ijebu-Ode motor park,  many residents of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, are still counting their losses,  especially  families who lost dear ones or had their property destroyed in the mayhem.

Following this incident, the State government had ordered the disbandment of the union in Ijebu-Ode. But this was not enough to put paid to the lingering crisis as another fracas recently broke out in Ifo, an ugly development that left many injured and was also traced to warring transport union members.

Last week Tuesday, Sango-Ota in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government was thrown into pandemonium when a similar incident occurred in the area. For several hours, the area was closed to both business and vehicular activities before law enforcement agents arrived to restore sanity.

Problem started when two factions of the NURTW reportedly engaged themselves in a free-for-all supremacy fight. The fracas, as gathered, began at midnight of Monday but escalated by day break, claiming lives and property, with  several individuals sustaining injuries.

Authorities in the state confirmed that one person died, but a source close to Sango Garage told Vanguard Metro, VM, that no fewer than 20 lives were lost during the clash that erupted about 24 hours after an Abeokuta State High Court struck out an application challenging the conduct of a proposed election by a faction of the union in the state.

The clash first broke out at underbridge in Sango following an argument between some area boys allegedly loyal to the former Chairman of the Union in Ogun State, Alhaji Tajudeen Ibikunle popularly called Baruwa  and those of a factional group led by Alhaji Akeem Abodurin known as Iyeru over the latter’s attempt to take over the leadership of the motor park.

Sources who witnessed the  clash in the early hours of Tuesday told VM that members of the Ibikunle group had positioned themselves in strategic places in Sango motor parks to unleash terror on the rival group which also launched a reprisal attack, resulting in pandemonium in the area as motorists and commuters took to their heels.

An eyewitness, Madam Wuraola Adenuga, said dangerous weapons were freely used, vehicles vandalised while shops and offices were looted as street urchins took advantage of the situation to unleash terror on people. Also, schools in the area hurriedly shut their gates, while many residents were seen packing their belongings and heading towards neighbouring towns in the State.

There was little or no activities in the garage when this reporter visited and none of the leaders was around to comment on the issue. But a union member who simply gave his name as ‘’Gberue’’ said there had been internal crisis in the garage since the early part of this year. “Many of our people just used the court judgement to cover face; the house was never in peace for the past seven months. All of us knew the crisis will degenerate one day and the result is what everybody has seen today,’’ he said.

During VM’s visit, mobile Policemen in armoured vehicles were seen patrolling the area, especially the major roads around Sango-Ota; some of them embarked on a  ‘stop and search’ to ensure that undesirable elements did not infiltrate the area to perpetrate further mayhem.

Meanwhile, Police Public Relations Officer for Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, has said plans were on to prevent future breakdown of law and order in the State.