The lawyer to the court-recognised National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Tajudeen Baruwa, has accused the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command of taking sides in the union’s leadership dispute.
The accusation follows Baruwa’s arrest, along with some of his supporters, at the union’s national secretariat in Abuja as he sought to reclaim the office from his rival, Ayinde Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.
According to Baruwa’s counsel, Tolu Babaleye, the arrest occurred despite multiple court rulings affirming his leadership and ordering rival factions to vacate the secretariat.
He described the police action as unlawful and a blatant disregard for the rule of law, warning that further interference could prompt legal action against the officers involved.
Babaleye outlined that the National Industrial Court on March 11, 2024, declared Baruwa the winner of the NURTW presidential election and ordered the occupants to vacate the secretariat, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal on November 8, 2024, while further enforcement orders were secured in March 2026 to freeze union accounts and compel compliance.
According to him, despite clear judicial pronouncements, the Nigeria Police Force has refused to carry out its statutory duty of enforcing court judgments.
He noted that the NURTW chairman wrote to several police formations seeking assistance to enforce the rulings, but the requests were ignored.
The lawyer added that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was also notified of the alleged inaction, but has yet to respond or act on the subsisting Court of Appeal judgment.
“The Office of the Attorney General, to date, has not deemed it fit to respond to or act upon a subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal,” he said.
Babaleye condemned the police for charging Baruwa with “public disturbance,” calling it a “laughable and cynical allegation” aimed at criminalizing the lawful enforcement of court orders.
“The police have acted in bad faith. The decision to charge Comrade Baruwa with “public disturbance” for peacefully occupying an office that three courts have declared is rightfully his is a malicious abuse of criminal justice processes,” he said.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to direct the Inspector General of Police to halt harassment, provide security for the NURTW secretariat, and ensure all police formations respect and enforce the court judgments. Babaleye also urged sanctions against officers who contravened these directives.
The statement reads in part “The Nigeria Police Force is not a private army for any faction. The law is clear. The courts have spoken. Any further attempt to arrest, detain, or intimidate Comrade Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa or any member of his lawful executive will trigger immediate legal action, including fundamental rights enforcement proceedings and claims for exemplary damages. Nigeria is a nation governed by law, not by the whims of police officers who have abandoned their oath of office. The law is the foundation of order. When the police refuse to uphold the law, they become the architects of anarchy.”
