Police arrest seven over NURTW clash in Abuja as Baruwa unseats MC Oluomo as union president

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested seven suspects following a clash at the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) headquarters in Abuja...READ FULL; FROM THE SOURCE.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, a superintendent of police, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.

She said videos circulating on social media alleging police personnel shot NURTW members were “false and misleading”.

Ms Adeh added that the videos were intended to “arouse public sentiment and misinform residents”.

She said the command received a distress call at about 7:00 a.m. on Monday, reporting about 300 individuals storming the NURTW headquarters in Garki.

Ms Adeh said the individuals, armed with cutlasses, bottles, bows and arrows, were reportedly removing items from the premises.

“In a swift response, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr Isyaku Sharu, led a team to the scene.

“Preliminary investigations showed the suspects were attempting to enforce a court order without court sheriffs or authorised officials present,” Adeh said.

She said the action escalated into a confrontation when other NURTW members resisted the move.

Ms Adeh said one union member sustained a severe machete injury to the neck during the clash.

She said the victim was rescued, while others with varying injuries were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Ms Adeh said the seven suspects had been charged to court and normalcy restored in the area.

She reaffirmed the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all FCT residents.

Although Ms Adeh did not disclose the names of the persons arrested, Vanguard reported that Tajudeen Baruwa, who led members of his faction to seize control of the union’s national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, was arrested by the police.

The violence at the NURTW secretariat stemmed from the leadership crisis afflicting the union.

Chaos erupted at the secretariat on Monday as Mr Baruwa backed by his supporters and citing court orders, seized control of the premises after dislodging Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo’s leadership of the union.

Punch newspaper reported that Mr Baruwa, flanked by supporters, told journalists after taking control of the secretariat that he acted based on two court judgements.

He said he had set copies of the court judgments to the police to help enforce them for him to assume office.

But he said the police were not forthcoming. He added that he had to send another notice to the police a few days ago informing them of his plan to take his office.

Punch reported that Mr Baruwa had opposed the inauguration of MC Oluomo, former chairman of the Lagos State chapter of NURTW, as the union’s new national president. MC Oluomo took office as the national president of the union in November 2024.

The National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal had barred any interference in the operations of the Mr Baruwa-led NURTW executive.

Judge Oyebiola Oyewumi of the National Industrial Court, in a ruling on 11 March 2024, in the suit marked NICN/ABJ/263/2023, affirmed Mr Baruwa as duly elected president of the Union.
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Also, on 8 November 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja confirmed Mr Baruwa as the legitimate president of the union, upholding the National Industrial Court’s decision.

A three-member panel comprising Hamma Akawu Barka, Nnamdi Dimgba, and Asmau Ojuolape Akanbi dismissed the appeal filed by Oluomo’s loyalists.

The appellants, who were also fined N100,000 by the Court of Appeal were Najeem Usman Yasin, Tajudeen Agbede, Aliyu Ore, Kayode Agbeyangi, Alhassan Haruna, Aliyu Tanimu and Hakeem Adeosun.

(NAN)