Nigerian: Clash between road workers, supporters causes passenger’s death
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Mamos Nigeria
A violent clash between road transport workers and supporters of a local monarch in the Alaba Rago area of Iba, Lagos State, has resulted in the death of a yet-to-be-identified passenger. The incident occurred on Sunday when a speeding vehicle hit the passenger during a scuffle between the two groups.
The conflict began after the monarch launched a new motor park for vehicles traveling to the northern and eastern parts of Nigeria.
The road transport workers, popularly known as agberos, saw the new park as a threat to their existing system of collecting levies from drivers in the area.
The clash escalated on Sunday morning when supporters of the monarch and the transport workers got into a fight.
In the chaos, a passenger was trying to cross the road near the new park when a speeding vehicle hit and killed them on the spot.
Footage shared with PUNCH Metro showed a crowd of sympathizers gathered at the scene, with the lifeless body of the victim lying in a pool of blood.
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed efforts to de-escalate the situation and broker peace between the warring factions.
The Commissioner of Police was personally on the ground for an on-the-spot assessment and met with all parties to find a lasting solution to the problem.
This incident adds to a growing list of violent clashes involving road transport workers and union operatives across Lagos and neighboring states.
A similar confrontation between commercial motorcyclists and agberos in the Akute and Alagbole areas of Ogun State reportedly resulted in multiple fatalities.
