The Oyo State Police Command says it has not provided escorts for Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde, the state Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The spokesman of the command, DSP Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor , told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday that there was no truth in a petition written by some aggrieved members of the union.
“There is no iota of truth in what is being indicated here that two policemen were given to Oyerinde as escorts.
“ Policemen were deplored to the NURTW building, not as escorts, but for security purposes due to the protracted NURTW crises that had been rocking the state.
“But for the deployment of the policemen there, the place would have continued to be a battle ground as it used to be.
“However, the police command thought it wise that posting policemen there would definitely deter disgruntled NURTW members from turning the place to a theatre of war,” she said.
Clet-Ilobanafor advised the disgruntled members to channel their grievances through the appropriate authorities.
“If they want anything investigated, it is not enough to allege.
“ Let them address a copy of their grievances to the Commissioner of Police so that each allegation could be treated on merit.
“We want to tell them that if a hungry man becomes angry and he breaks the law of the land, the law will take its course on that person.
“We advise them not to take laws into their hands because this will mean that they want to confront the law.
“It is better for them to go through proper channels than issuing subtle threats because if anything goes wrong, they would be made to face the full wrath of the law,” she said.
NAN reports that a petition signed by one Taofeek Agbaje on behalf of some aggrieved members of the union was sent to media houses in Ibadan.
The group alleged that the police leadership had approved escorts for Oyerinde popularly known as Fele.
It also claimed that the executive was extorting money from members of the union from different garages in the state to prosecute Oyerinde’s court cases.
The group further called on the Commissioner of Police to investigate what it called Oyerinde’s “ill-gotten wealth.’’ (NAN)
