The National President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Williams Akporeha, on Wednesday narrated before an FCT High Court how the National Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch, Augustine Egbon, narrowly escaped being killed.
Akporeha testified as the second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of 21 former PTD leaders accused of attempted murder.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Christopher Oshomegie (SAN), Akporeha told the court that Egbon and members of his executive were attacked on November 1, 2023, at the PTD headquarters in Utako, Abuja, during a visit to the facility. He added that the victims were further assaulted later that night at their hotel.
The NUPENG president dismissed the defence’s claim that Egbon and his team were attacked while trying to forcefully install themselves as leaders of the union.
According to him, Egbon and his executives were legitimately elected during a congress held in Ibadan, Oyo State, and were inaugurated there after their victory.
Akporeha also told the court that the former PTD National Chairman, Lucky Osesua—who is among the defendants—was not the authentic leader of the branch and therefore had no right to occupy the PTD national secretariat.
He informed the court that on the day of the attack on him and others, they met Osesua and other defendants at the premises’ gate and were stopped from driving into the premises.
The witness added that he and others had to use the small gate to enter the premises, where they were later attacked by the defendants.
He claimed that the defendants led a mob of youths armed with gallons of petrol and other weapons to attack the hotel where he and others lodged and destroyed doors, windows, and other.
Akporeha added that he was talking with Egbon when he heard the door of his room being broken into, and following which, he was beaten up.
He said, “I was not with Egbon, but I was on the phone with him when I heard the door to his room broken, and he screamed. I also saw when he was being beaten and dragged from the fourth floor. He was beaten to a pulp.”
The witness added that it took the intervention of the then acting Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Utako division to rescue him from his hotel room, and later arrested the defendants and took them to the police command.
Akporeha faulted the defence lawyer’s suggestion that NUPENG was using the police and court to settle disagreements among its branches.
He said, “It is not correct that one group is using the police and court against another to settle a union matter. I am the national president of the union (NUPENG); I oversee everybody.
“NUPENG is one body, and there are no groups. NUPENG has about 150 branches which PTD is one of. The issue of one group against another does not arise.”
On what led to the crisis, Akporeha told the court that the union conducted PTD executive elections in June 2022 in Ibadan, in which the first defendant, Osesua, and others emerged as winners.
He said the election was nullified by the National Industrial Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and ordered NUPENG to conduct a fresh election for PTD.
Akporeha said, “After the first election was nullified, the court directed that another election be conducted. This was conducted, but some of them (defendants) went to court, and the court also nullified the second election.
“After this, NUPENG conducted another election in Ibadan, while some people also conducted another illegal election in Abuja.
“It is NUPENG that is supposed to conduct the election. The one the court directed to be supervised by NUPENG was conducted in Ibadan.”
He further told the court that most of those who conducted the illegal Abuja election were not in Ibadan for the election that the court ordered NUPENG to supervise.
The witness said the Osesua-led Executive that emerged from the illegal election held in Abuja later filed a suit against the members of the Executive elected in Ibadan, adding that he was joined as a defendant in the suit.
At the conclusion of his testimony, Justice Yusuf Halilu adjourned till November 10 for the continuation of the trial.
Osesua and others are being prosecuted by the police on a five-count charge bordering on attempted murder, breach of peace, and assault in the charge, marked: FCT/HC/CR/042/2023.
The defendants were alleged to have, on November 1, 2023, attacked Akporeha, NUPENG’s Secretary-General, Olawale Afolabi, and the new PTD National Chairman, Augustine Egbon, thus acting in a manner likely to cause their death, among others, offences.
Other defendants included Dayyabu Garga; Humble Obinna; Akinolu Olabisi; Godwin Nwaka; Tiamiu Sikiru; Abdulmimin Shaibu and John Amajuoyi; Zaira Aregbo; Patrick Erhivwor; Stephen Ogheneruemu; Gift Ukponku and Sunday Ezeocha and seven others.