The leadership crisis within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) escalated on Tuesday as Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, regained control of the union’s National Secretariat in Abuja and began assessing damage to the facility.
The development came less than 24 hours after a rival faction led by Tajudeen Baruwa forcefully occupied the same secretariat, claiming legitimacy based on court rulings affirming his leadership of the union.
Baruwa, who addressed journalists at the premises on Monday, insisted that his actions were backed by legal authority. He said his faction had formally notified the Nigerian Police and submitted copies of court judgments in support of the takeover.
“Our actions were backed by two court judgments delivered in our favour,” he stated, maintaining that the occupation followed due process.
However, the situation took a dramatic turn when operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command intervened, arresting Baruwa and several of his associates over what authorities described as the unlawful enforcement of a court order.
Those arrested alongside Baruwa were Ibikunle Baruwa, Sulaiman Musa, Nasiru Ibrahim, Alhaji Sadisu Musa, Dalha Suleiman, Abdullahi Garba, and Saheed Fojebi.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said the group attempted to enforce the judgment without the presence of court officials.
“The suspects were attempting to enforce a court order on the premises without the presence of court sheriffs and other authorised officials,” the statement read.
The police also dismissed viral reports alleging that officers opened fire on NURTW members at the Garki secretariat, describing the claims as “false and misleading.”
