Headlines
Lagos Govt Heeds MC Oluomo’s Call, Suspends NURTW, Takes Over Parks and Garages
Following the crisis engulfing the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union in Lagos State, the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Government has suspended the activities of the union from all parks and garages with immediate effect.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, made this known in a statement late Thursday.
The statement titled, ‘Lagos Suspends Nurtw From Parks’, read, “The Lagos State Government has been watching closely events in the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union. There have been claims and counterclaims over the control of the union.
“The Government has a duty to ensure the safety of lives and property of all Lagosians and visitors. Therefore, there is an urgent need to douse the unnecessary tension generated by the leadership tussle in the NURTW and protect the citizenry from the likely fallout of the situation.
“After considering the provisions of the law, the Government hereby suspends the activities of NURTW, which must cease to operate in all parks and garages in Lagos State.
“The Government will set up a Committee to immediately take control of the parks and garages. Members of the committee will be key stakeholders in the sector.
“The Government’s position is premised on its responsibility to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in all parks and garages in Lagos State.”
The national body of the union on Thursday suspended its Lagos State chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, following weeks of protracted conflict and leadership tussle.
The national body accused Akinsanya of resorting to intimidation, harassment, and assault on the newly-appointed Chairman, Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria, Azeez Abiola, aka Istijabah but Akinsanya refuted the claim that he instigated members of the union to assault Abiola.
He, however, noted that the legality of the TOOAN operations in the state is a subject of a suit pending before the National Industrial Court.
Subsequently, the NURTW national body in Abuja on Thursday announced the indefinite suspension of Akinsanya for gross misconduct and directed him to hand over to his deputy.
Hours later, Akinsanya at a press conference at the NURTW Secretariat in the Agege area of the Lagos announced his withdrawal and that of lieutenants from the union.
He also asked Sanwo-Olu to take over the running of all parks and garages in the state till peace returned to the union.
“In view of this and the crisis at hand, Lagos State Government is hereby invited to consider its white paper on Transport Union activities, 2004 section 5C, which states that the Government should take over the management of any garage or motor park where there is a crisis until such is resolved by the consultative committee.
“We hereby call on Lagos State Government to take over the running of the affairs of the Union with the Constitution of a Park Management Committee for Motor Garages and parks in the state, thereby ensuring peace and tranquility, pending the determination of the matter in the interest of the good people of Lagos State,” Akinsanya said earlier on Thursday.
The operations of the NURTW have been despised for years by Lagosians and social commentators. Clad in grimy white tops and green trousers, NURTW operatives locally called agberos are notorious for harassing, intimidating and forcibly collecting levies from commercial bus drivers at parks, garages and bus stops, leading to occasional fights, indecent of the ‘megacity’ aspiration of Lagos.
According to a 2021 report by the International Centre for Investigative Report, the Lagos chapter of NURTW generates about N123.08bn annually, which could service the annual budget of Nasarawa, Niger, and Yobe states put together.
Aside from other extortioners on Lagos roads including corrupt security agents, NURTW operatives are the bane of commercial drivers, with many transporters lamenting that they milk them dry by collecting tolls at every bus stop.
The Punch
The Senate has passed a bill to establish State Police in Nigeria.
The Senate plenary was presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The Senate adopted manual voting for the consideration of the State Police Bill after the electronic voting device developed technical issues during plenary on Wednesday.
Under the manual voting arrangement, each senator had to stand up, announce his or her name, and openly state his or her position on the proposed bill for establishing State Police.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier transmitted a Constitution Amendment Bill seeking the establishment of State Police to the Senate as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
The legislation seeks to amend relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to create a legal framework for the establishment of state police across the federation.
The move follows repeated calls by the President for constitutional reforms that would enable states to play a more active role in securing their territories.
A fresh spotlight was cast on terrorism financing and security threats on Tuesday as the United States sanctioned a Lagos-based alleged ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) financier.
This came as troops neutralised suspected ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) operatives and the Federal Government deepened counterterrorism cooperation with international partners.
The United States imposed sanctions on Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad and three bureaux de change linked to him over accusations of facilitating funds for the terrorist group.
Muhammad, 35, also known as Adamu Mukhtar and Muhammad Mukhtar, was identified as a key facilitator for ISIS-West Africa. He was listed with an address in Agege, Lagos State.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Muhammad allegedly served as a conduit for ISIS financing through bureaux de change operating in Lagos and Kano states.
The three businesses sanctioned alongside him are Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited, both based in Lagos State, as well as Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited in Kano State.
According to OFAC, the network includes a France-based facilitator accused of providing information on explosives to ISIS supporters and a Syria-based operator who allegedly used cryptocurrency to transfer funds to ISIS associates in several countries, including the United States.
Announcing the sanctions, U.S. State Department spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott said the measures were aimed at disrupting the terrorist group’s financial operations worldwide.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is dismantling ISIS’s ability to finance terrorism around the world.
“We are cutting off the financial lifelines that enable ISIS to fund attacks, support its regional affiliates, and threaten civilians, including religious minorities,” Pigott said.
He added that the actions reflected sustained U.S. efforts to weaken ISIS, which he said had increasingly decentralised its operations and relied on financial intermediaries to sustain its global network.
The U.S. government also reaffirmed its security partnership with Nigeria, citing Abuja’s role in the May 16, 2026, operation that resulted in the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-highest-ranking ISIS official.
Washington pledged to continue deploying diplomatic and legal measures against ISIS and its supporters.
Headlines
Phone Hacking Charge: El-Rufai to Remain in Custody as Court Turns Down Bail Variation Request
The embattled former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has lost his battle to get the bail conditions imposed on him by the Federal High Court in Abuja varied.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, on Tuesday, refused to relax the bail conditions for the former governor while delivering a ruling in an application by El-Rufai.
El-Rufai, through his lawyer Paul Erokoro (SAN), had applied for a variation of some of the bail conditions earlier granted him, describing them as harsh, stringent, outlandish and difficult to meet.
The senior lawyer argued that the bail terms are too stringent, particularly the requirements for level 17 civil servants with properties in Maitama or Asokoro, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council.
However, the prosecution, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), opposed the request, insisting that qualified public officers who meet the conditions exist, urging the court to refuse the application.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik declined the request to vary the bail conditions, holding that there are civil servants who own properties at the said location.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the Department of State Services (DSS) closed its case against the former governor in the ongoing alleged wiretapping trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
At the resumed hearing, prosecuting counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the prosecution would not be calling further witnesses in the matter, prompting the formal closure of the DSS case.
Following the development, defence counsel, Paul Erokoro told the court that the defence intends to file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution has failed to establish sufficient evidence against the former governor.
The defence subsequently sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested two weeks to respond and do the necessary filing.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik then fixed September 22 for hearing of the no case submission and the continuation of proceedings.
