Lawyer gets court order banning levy collection by NURTW, Oluomo, Lagos state, others

Chairman of the Lagos State Park and Garages Management, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, and eight others have been stopped from collecting levies from commercial drivers.

The Ikoyi Federal High Court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu gave the order in respect to an ex parte application filed by Olukoya Ogungbeje, a lawyer.

The lawyer filed the application on behalf of himself and a new transport union, Transport Union Society of Nigeria.

Other respondents in the suit are the Registered Trustees of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Registered Trustees of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Registered Trustees of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, Alhaji Lawal Othman, Lagos State Government, Attorney-General of Lagos State, Inspector-General of Police and the Director of State Security Service.

In the application, the lawyer prayed the court to restrain  “forceful imposition, collection, extortion of any transport union levies, dues, fees, or monies from any person, commercial vehicle driver and/or transporter that is not a member of the respondents pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion filed before the court.”

He also prayed the court to restrain the respondents from “arresting, detaining, harassing, embarrassing, humiliating, inviting, seizing, and confiscating any commercial vehicle, disturbing and/or interfering with the lawful transport business operations of the applicant and its transport union members in connection with the facts of the case pending the determination of the substantive originating motion.”

Before the ex parte ruling, Justice Lifu ordered the respondents in the suit to present, within seven days, why the reliefs sought by the applicants should not be granted.

But Ogungbeje informed the court at the resumed hearing, that the respondents didn’t show up though processes were served on them.

On that ground, Justice Lifu granted the reliefs of the applicants.

The case comes up on June 6 to determine the applicants’ motion to add other parties to the suit.