Date: 2015-08-02

A fracas between members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Offa, Offa local government area of Kwara state on Sunday allegedly claimed one life.

Dangerous weapons like cutlasses and machetes were freely used as scores of vehicles were vandalized. It was gathered that in the process, the secretariat of one of the unions was torched by the angry union members.

Others were said to have sustained injuries through machetes’ cuts.

The state had in 2013 proscribed Offa and Erin-Ile branches of NURTW and RTEAN over communal clashes between the two communities.

The latest clash was allegedly caused by a disagreement between the two unions on how to convey students of Kwara state College of Health Technology, Offa going on internship to Ondo, Ekiti and other neighbouring states.

Spokesperson of the state police command, Ajayi Okasanmi (ASP) confirmed that one person who received deep machetes’ cut in the neck had died.

Mr. Okasanmi added that the police had arrested ten persons, adding that they are assisting the police in their investigations.

A member of the state House of Assembly Alhaji Hassan Oyeleke described the incident as unfortunate, saying Offa community is reputed for its spirit of fraternity and brotherhood.

“We are just recovering from the 2013 communal clashes which were triggered by the same unions. We are tasking every one member of the community in order to rebuild the over 200 shops in Owode Market destroyed during those clashes. What is in a union?” he asked.