Hoodlums suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Thursday invaded the premises of the Osun State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Osogbo, injuring seven officers and vandalising 13 vehicles.
The hoodlums, suspected to be members of the Olaiya Unit of the NURTW in Osogbo, launched the attack when operatives of the FRSC tried to impound a commercial vehicle belonging to a member of the NURTW.
The Osun State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Muhammad Husaini, said that the operatives impounded a bus with a view to taking it to their command but that the driver of the bus zoomed off.
“When the driver noticed that he was being pursued, he made u-turn and headed to Olaiya Bus Stop, where he stopped and called for help from his colleagues.
“The hoodlums and the driver descended on the officer in the bus, beating him up and when my vehicle arrived at the scene, they equally attacked my vehicle, damaging it,” the commander said.
He said he managed to escape and went to the police area command to call for help, explaining that the hoodlums seized the opportunity to mobilise and attack the FRSC office.
Husaini said the hoodlums destroyed four FRSC patrol vehicles, an ambulance, seven impounded vehicles and the sector commander’s official vehicle.
He said that seven of his men, including a female officer, were injured during the attack, stating that it took the intervention of the police to quell the attack
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Police Command, Mrs Folashade Odoro, said the situation had been brought under control.
Odoro said that some of the hoodlums had been arrested and that policemen had been stationed at the FRSC office to prevent further attacks.
An officer of the FRSC, who witnessed the incident, said that the hoodlums came in seven buses and motorcycles to attack the command.
The officer disclosed that one of the officers injured in the attack was critically ill in hospital.
