MC Oluomo’s Loyalists Reporyeldy Attack NUJ Secretariat
Pandemonium broke out at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council Secretariat in Utako, Abuja, on Thursday as a group loyal to Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, violently disrupted an event organised by the Bus Conductors Association of Nigeria (BCAN), an affiliate of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).
The BCAN had gathered to inaugurate its association in the main hall of the NUJ Secretariat when the chaos erupted.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers, wearing caps adorned with MC Oluomo’s photograph, stormed the venue, brandishing dangerous weapons, including machetes, knives, bottles, and sticks.
The thugs, led by one Segun Aluwaye, who claimed to be the chairman of Berger Park, forcefully broke open the gate of the NUJ Secretariat before descending on guests, participants, and even security personnel.
The rampage left several injured, with chairs, tables, cameras, fans, and other valuables destroyed.
It was gathered that the attackers arrived at the venue shortly after the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who was the special guest of honour, had departed. As the violence unfolded, panic-stricken attendees fled in different directions to escape the assault.
The Chairman of BCAN, Comrade Prince Israel Ade Adeshola, expressed shock over the incident, describing it as barbaric and unfortunate.
“We came to the NUJ Secretariat to inaugurate our association, but midway through the event, thugs armed with dangerous weapons stormed the venue, chased away dignitaries and guests, and injured many of our members. They wore caps with MC Oluomo’s image and destroyed numerous items,” he lamented.
Adeshola revealed that the purpose of the association’s inauguration was to combat rampant cases of “One Chance” in the Federal Capital Territory and maintain an accurate database of bus conductors.
Security personnel, including officers of the Nigerian Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were not spared in the attack. Some were injured while others sought refuge during the onslaught.
Police vehicles have been stationed at the NUJ Secretariat to prevent further escalation.
The BCAN leadership has vowed to seek justice and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and relevant security agencies to rein in MC Oluomo and his followers.
“This act of violence is unacceptable, and we demand immediate action to prevent a recurrence,” Adeshola said.
