The Ebute Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court has ordered the remand of a National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) leader, Shamsideen Oladiti, popularly known as Shameleon, at a correctional centre pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Oladiti, 55, was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command over allegations of assault and murder. According to the Command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, Babaseyi Oluseyi, the suspect allegedly attacked a dispatch rider on Lagos Island, inflicting serious injuries with a helmet and his fists.
Oluseyi further disclosed that a separate complaint had earlier been lodged against Oladiti over an August 28 altercation, during which he allegedly struck another man, identified as Imam Ramon, multiple times on the head and face with a metallic ring.
Despite medical treatment, Ramon died on September 17, and his body has since been deposited in the morgue for autopsy.Following investigations by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, the police arraigned Oladiti on a three-count charge.
The court subsequently ordered his remand and adjourned the case until October 28, directing that the case file be sent to the DPP for legal advice.News of Ramon’s death sparked protests at the suspect’s office in Sandgrouse Market, Lagos Island, where sympathisers reportedly set two of Oladiti’s motorcycles ablaze, heightening tension in the area.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the alleged excesses and high-handedness of some NURTW officials, with residents urging the government to take decisive steps to curb their activities.
