Gun Running: Osun NURTW Supports Police Action Following Arrest of Wakeel Nurudeen Iyanda Alowonle(Video)
The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Osun State, led by Kazeem Oyewale, has expressed support for the police following the arrest of Wakeel Nurudeen Iyanda Alowonle. Alowonle, who serves as the Chairman of the Osun State Transport Management System, was apprehended by the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Osun State Police Command on Monday night and was reportedly shot in the stomach during the operation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday in Osogbo, Oyewale clarified that the union’s members are law-abiding and should not be associated with criminal activities. He called on law enforcement agencies to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the killings of NURTW members in November 2022.
The NURTW chairman also distanced the union from Alowonle, labeling him an impostor and a political appointee of Governor Ademola Adeleke. He stressed that Alowonle and his associates do not represent the interests of the union, and their actions run contrary to the principles upheld by NURTW.
Oyewale also criticized the alleged illegal activities surrounding Alowonle’s arrest, noting the dangerous weapons found in his possession. “The recovery of a service pistol from Alowonle is a clear indication of his ties to criminal activities,” Oyewale stated. “The police must investigate where he acquired this weapon and identify which officers may have been involved in supplying it.”
He further emphasized that NURTW members do not engage in criminal behavior, asserting that only armed robbers, kidnappers, and assassins carry weapons like the ones Alowonle had. “The arrest of Alowonle validates the union’s concerns from the past two years, when he and other individuals with questionable backgrounds were introduced to disrupt transport operations in Osun,” Oyewale added.
In addition to calling for an investigation into Alowonle’s sources of firearms, the NURTW leader reiterated the union’s demand for justice regarding the murders of seven of its members in November 2022. Alowonle has been named in several reports concerning these killings, and Oyewale urged the police to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“We do not condone crime in the NURTW. Our union is built on lawful conduct, and we stand against any association with criminals,” the statement concluded.
