Picnews
The unrest that occurred on February 23, 2026, within the NUPENG PTD Ejigbo Depot in Lagos stands as a stark reminder that the pursuit of workers’ rights must never descend into disorder. Nigeria’s labour movement is built on a legacy of principled and courageous advocacy; however, when factional interests or aggrieved groups resort to violence, the very ideals unions are meant to uphold are compromised.
The events of that day represented a troubling deviation from the culture of peaceful civic engagement for which NUPENG PTD is recognised. Reports indicate that a splinter group—largely comprising individuals who are not registered members of the union and aligned with Alhaji Ganiyu Oyebola, popularly known as “10Million,” a former Chairman of NUPENG PTD Ejigbo—staged a protest purportedly aimed at pressuring law enforcement authorities and undermining ongoing judicial processes. Such actions amount to a grave affront to the rule of law and must not be permitted to take root.
A brief background into the Ejigbo depot impasse reveals that there is already an upcoming election to elect new executives for the labour union. However, instead of preparing for the upcoming elections, the Oyebola-led group took to violence. They attacked the real members who showed their willingness and readiness for the elections through printing and posting posters of their preferred candidate. While they were pasting the posters in and around the Ejigbo depot on the 16th of February, 2026, they were gravely attacked.
A straightforward, peaceful electioneering process quickly degenerated into physical attacks on recognized members of the union. Several individuals were brutally injured, some left in pools of blood, and rushed to hospitals.
This violent turn of events caused the Nigeria Police Force to sweep into action and arrested everyone involved in the mayhem. The Police also swiftly charged them to court in line with the laws of the land, and the case has since been before the magistrate.
Rather than allow the law to take its process, Alhaji Ganiyu Oyebola, known as “10Million,” and his splinter group took to the streets in today’s protest. They also engaged civil society organizations who would not seek to understand the root of the matter before proceeding to protest. They are seeking to armtwist the magistrate and the Police to release thugs who were involved in the violence that led to the maiming of law-abiding citizens who are going about their civic duty to elect new executives for their labour union.
The conduct of the former chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Oyebola at the protest scene is thus troubling and shocking. Upon seeing journalists, he avoided questions and refused to explain his group’s role in the violent clashes. Leadership demands courage, especially in moments of crisis. His silence in the face of serious allegations is the evasion of true leadership.
Adding to the complexity of the situation was the involvement of a civil society organization, Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURWA) that was engaged. A representative of the CSO stated: “We learned that two factions are clashing and one of them is on ground known and recognized as the one that has the base. Some people claimed that they were attacked, some were injured and admitted into the hospital, and they reported it at the Police station. But they are alleging that the Police appears to have been bought. It is not like the Police went to the scene; it is the people who went to the Police to report and they were reported. This is the information we gathered in our office.”
He went on to call for accountability: “Our demands are very clear. We are calling for immediate, impartial investigation into the role played by officers of the Ejigbo division and Zone D. We are calling on the leadership of Petrol Tanker Drivers to come and intervene on this matter before it degenerates into a fracas.”
If every allegation of intimidation as cited by the HURWA representative is true, will it also qualify violence and permit a staged protest that took place without the consent of the Nigeria Police Force? When actions of a group become unlawful and turn violent, they become morally unacceptable and counterproductive for the development of society.
The protest today and the previous violence have endangered the lives of fellow workers and disrupted public order. Everyone involved in the fracas must be immediately brought to justice no matter whose ox is gored. Those who were injured must get adequate medical attention for which they should not bear the cost. The Ganiyu Oyebola-led group must be made to stop its unlawful acts and wait for the judgement of the Court.
Nigeria cannot afford to let union disputes fuel societal instability.
