The Nigeria Police Force has arrested Tajudeen Baruwa and six others following a dramatic takeover of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) secretariat in Abuja on Monday morning.

Baruwa, who claims legitimacy as the union’s president based on court rulings, led members of his faction to reclaim the headquarters from the rival group loyal to Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.

The leadership crisis stems from the National Industrial Court ruling in March 2024, which declared Baruwa the duly elected president for a second term. The Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld this decision in November 2024, dismissing challenges from MC Oluomo’s loyalists and awarding N100,000 in costs against them.

Baruwa said his faction had waited nearly two years to regain control of the secretariat and had formally notified the police before proceeding with the takeover.

“We are taking over in a peaceful manner. This is not a forceful takeover but simply carrying out the court’s orders,” Baruwa told journalists before his arrest.

However, FCT Police spokesperson Josephine Adeh presented a different account. She said the command received a distress call around 7am reporting that approximately 300 persons armed with cutlasses, bottles, bows and arrows had stormed the NURTW headquarters and were removing items from the premises.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Isyaku Sharu led a response team to the scene, where preliminary investigations revealed the suspects were attempting to enforce a court order without the presence of court sheriffs or relevant officials.

The situation escalated into a physical confrontation when members of the opposing faction resisted, leaving one person with severe machete wounds to the neck. Several others sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.

Seven suspects, including Baruwa and factional General Secretary Suleiman Musa, were arrested. Others in custody are Nasiru Ibrahim, Alhaji Sadisu Musa, Dalha Suleiman, Abdullahi Garba, and Saheed Fojebi. All have been charged before Magistrate Court 1 in Wuse Zone 2.

The police also dismissed as false and misleading viral claims that officers shot at NURTW members during the incident.

The MC Oluomo-led faction maintains that the takeover attempt will not stand. Attempts to reach factional General Secretary Kayode Abbey Angina were unsuccessful.

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