Factional NURTW leader petitions police, says life in danger

One of the factional leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Lagos Island Chapter, Idumota Branch C, Olatunbosun Lateef has insisted that some assassins are after his life despite the suspension of union activities on the Island.

Recall that on January 23, some assassins had attacked a car conveying both Olatunbosun and the chairman, killing one Ganiyu Ayinla, a principal assistant to Kunle Azeez over a power tussle.

Though details of the incident were sketchy as of the time, sources told National Daily that the target of the suspected assassins were Olatunbosun Lateef and Kunle Azeez.

The source said that the assassins numbering about four trailed the car belonging to the chairman at about 1.30am in their motorcycles, blocked the car and opened fire on the occupants thinking that the chairman and his vice were in the car, but unknown to them that it was his principal assistant who drove the car.

According to the source, there was sporadic shooting by the assassins before they escaped through the Idumota Bridge, while the killing at Idumota forced traders to close their shops for fear of a reprisal attack.

Although, activities of the union have been suspended on the order of the Lagos state governor, Akinwumi Ambode, Olatunbosun insisted that the assassins are still after him.

In a telephone conversation, Olatunbosun said his life is in serious danger as some powerful people within and outside the Union are bent on silencing him for good.

 “You see, this is beyond just the NURTW, some people want to take over the Union for both political and economic reasons, and they see me as a stumbling block.”

Olatunbosun told National Daily that he had informed the Police about the threat to his life.

He said, “After the assination attempt on our cars that led to the death of Ayinla and the fracas leading to the suspension, I was still being trailed by suspicious characters. My home was attacked twice and my family humiliated. I told the Police, and for while they provided security but after the suspension, I was left alone,” he explained on phone.

According to him, when it became apparent that he couldn’t get enough security, he had to move out of his home to an undisclosed location.

Meanwhile the police recently paraded four suspects in connection with the assassination Ganiyu Ayinla.

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The suspects are Bashiru Bashorun, also known as Abija, 49 years; Sunday Balogun, aka Folori, 43; John Oladokun, better called John Ibafo, 43. Also, one Gbolahan Olomokere, aka Motherless junior, 34, was arrested in Ibadan, Oyo state in connection with the murder.

The suspects were paraded before journalists on Monday.  Edgal Imohimi, the state’s Commissioner of Police, said the incident happened on 23, January 2018, at about 3:00am, at No. 1, John Street, Idumota, Lagos.

Imohimi claimed the suspects “confessed to the crime and went further to mention one Ade Lawyer, who is currently at large as a co-participant in the crime.”