Prominent leader in the Oyo State National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, has alleged that some assailants in police uniform were after his life.
He lamented that his life has been at risk since March 2019, after the general election, insisting that some groups of assailants have been trailing him in recent time.
Auxiliary, while speaking with reporters at his Alakia hotel in Ibadan on Saturday, narrated how the uniformed assailants blocked his way at Iwo, Osun State and fired gunshots at him.
The Nation quoted him as saying “I was attacked by these hoodlums in police uniform at Iwo. It was a day I will never forget in my life. They condemned all the four types of my car; shot at me severally. I did not know how I escaped into a nearby bush after been pursued unsuccessfully,” Auxiliary stated.
He alleged that the situation got worse when the police visited his hotel on two occasions.
“These assailants, who were fully armed in police uniform, came to my hotel twice. On getting to the street where the hotel is located, they started shooting sporadically for minutes. They caused panic and destabilised the residents in the area.
“I would have been killed before now but for the timely intervention of the patrol team of the ‘Operation Bust’. I have reported all these to the appropriate authorities. In fact, I hardly stay at home since March for fear of attack.”
On the cause of the development around him, Auxiliary said: “I think when you’re a goal-getter, a game changer and you are moving along at a pace off the beaten path, you are going to be doing a lot more than the majority of the people around you. And unfortunately, when others are not achieving these goals for themselves, they can become disgruntled. They become envious. They become resentful that other people are doing what they will not.
“They are determined to stop the progress that is about to happen in Oyo State. They have heard of my determination to bring down the cost of transportation in Oyo State by reducing the daily levies paid by the commercial vehicles to the union. We would rearrange every park/bus stop to allow free flow of vehicles. We shall ensure all commercial drivers comply with traffic laws. Our rebirth NURTW will cooperate with the state government to put an end to the activities of the kidnappers and bandits by introducing modern technology to all garages to discourage influx of passengers without clear identity and mission in the state.
“Quite a number of the residents in Oyo State had been fed with wrong news and stories about me, making them to judge me harshly. I was never a fraudster nor assassin. I have no cause to attack anybody; my struggles have been for the promotion and liberation of union from intruders. We all should know that working towards our goals is going to cause people to be curious about us. And that curiosity is going to raise controversy and pose numerous questions.”
He added: “The ongoing serial attack and character assassination against my person is not only targeted towards blocking me from becoming the chairman of the union, but it is also to discredit the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde and make it appears to be promoting hooliganism and thuggery. Some enemies within our circle, within PDP, are those betraying us and colluding within opposition. But, I’m sure they will soon be exposed.”
