At least five people were injured and hospitalised on Monday following a clash involving members of rival transport unions in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The incident caused tension around the Idi-Araba and Itakudimo areas of the metropolis, forcing residents and motorists to flee as the confrontation escalated.
The clash was reportedly triggered by an alleged attack on an office of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).
A resident, Mubaraq Bello, said trouble started when some youths arrived in tricycles armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons and headed towards the NARTO office.
Bello said some of the youths allegedly threw stones at the building, causing panic in the area.
A NARTO member, Abubakar Olatunbosun, alleged that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Tricycle Owners’ Association of Nigeria (TOAN) attacked NARTO members while they were heading to the police headquarters in Ilorin.
Olatunbosun appealed to the Kwara State Government to intervene, alleging that more than 100 tricycles belonging to NARTO members had been seized by rival unions.
One of the victims, Abdulwasiu Jamiu, alleged that members of the unions attacked them, seized their tricycles and injured some people.
Another victim, Lukman Iyanda, said he sustained a broken hand after he was attacked while operating his tricycle around the Itakudimo area.
However, a member of RTEAN, who spoke anonymously, alleged that NARTO was an unregistered association and was not recognised by the government.
Efforts to obtain comments from representatives of the other unions involved in the dispute were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
The incident has raised concerns among residents and transport operators in the affected areas, with calls for authorities to intervene and prevent further escalation.
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