Lagos State Chairman of Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria (TOOAN), Alhaji Azeez Abiola known as Istijaba has regained freedom after his arrest on Thursday by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the State Police Command.
It would recalled that Istijabah was arrested by RRS with four other members of TOOAN at the state headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Agege when they went for an emergency meeting summoned by the state Chairman of NURTW, Musiliu Akinsanya ( MC Oluomo) to discuss the latest development in the union regarding the appointment of Istijabah as TOOAN Lagos Chairman by the National leadership.
Narrating his ordeal in a trending video on the social media, Istijaba accused MC Oluomo of masterminding a failed assassination attempt on him.
Istijabah said a day after his emergence as state Chairman of TOOAN, he was invited to an emergency meeting at the State NURTW headquarters in Agege, and that while he was filling the attendance form, some NURTW officials supervised by MC Oluomo swooped on him and started hitting him.
Istijabah said he narrowly escaped to his car and locked the door while he heard one of them saying the car should be burnt down with him inside, but another person advised against it.
He said while the touts were contemplating on what to do to him, the RRS officers got to the scene, and his car was thoroughly searched without any gun being recovered from it.
The TOOAN Chairman said he was later taken to RRS headquarters in Alausa, after which he claimed that an officer brought a gun and said it was recovered within the area of the incident.
He accused Mc Oluomo of moving against him for emerging as TOOAN Chairman which he said was at variance with MC Oluomo’s desire to control the association.
Narrating his transport sector experiences, Istijabah explained that he had been an investor in the business of transport for more than three decades and empowering young ones to own tricycles and commercial buses.
He added that he had over 3000 tricycles and 3000 commercial buses operating in Lagos, saying that he does not hold to position to rival MC Oluomo but to better the life of tricycle operators in the state.
It was reported that MC Oluomo was present at the Abuja meeting where Istijabah was appointed TOOAN Chairman by the Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa led National leadership and were directed to work together.
