Lagos Police to Arraign NURTW Leader Over Alleged Killing of Dispatch Rider

The Lagos State Police Command says it will on Friday arraign a senior member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Shamsideen Adio, popularly known as Shameleon, following the death of a dispatch rider during a violent altercation in Lagos Island.

Adio, 55, was arrested after the September 17 incident on Tapa Street, where the victim was accused of scratching his vehicle. Witnesses say the confrontation escalated when Adio and his associates allegedly beat the rider with a helmet and fists until he collapsed.

The rider was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries.

Confirming the development, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Bababseyi Oluseyi, said Adio is being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti-Yaba, pending his arraignment in court.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has also intervened, demanding full prosecution of the suspect and his accomplices.

Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, Adewale Adedeji, condemned the killing, calling it “an act that must be condemned by every well-meaning Nigerian.”

He added:

“We can just imagine a dispatch rider who left home to earn a living for himself not returning because somebody who thinks he is above the law decided to take his life. The sanctity of human life has no alternative and this case must serve as a lesson.”

The case has reignited public debate over violent conduct among some transport union members and the urgent need for accountability.