The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arraigned factional leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), including Tajudeen Baruwa and Sulaiman Musa, over the forceful takeover of the union’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The arraignment follows a violent confrontation at the Garki II headquarters on Monday, marking a fresh escalation in the protracted leadership crisis that has plagued the union for over two years.
Police said the suspects, alongside five others, attempted to enforce a court judgment reinstating Baruwa as union president without due legal process, triggering unrest at the facility.
According to a statement by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the group acted outside the law. They were “attempting to enforce a court order on the premises without the presence of court sheriffs and other officials.”
The situation reportedly turned chaotic after about 300 individuals stormed the secretariat in the early hours, armed with dangerous weapons.
“The FCT Police Command is aware of videos circulating on social media alleging that personnel of the Command shot at some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) at their headquarters in Garki II, Abuja. The Command wishes to state that these are false and misleading claims aimed at rousing public sentiments,” the statement read.
Police disclosed that the incident was first reported around 7:00 a.m., when the armed group allegedly invaded the premises and began removing property.
“On 23rd of March 2026, at approximately 7:00 a.m., a distress call was received by the FCT Police Command reporting that about 300 individuals, armed with cutlasses, bottles, bows, and arrows, had stormed the NURTW headquarters along Sapele Street, Garki II, Abuja, and were removing items from the premises,” the statement added.
The Command said a response team led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, DCP Isyaku Sharu, was immediately deployed to restore order.
“Upon arrival, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were attempting to enforce a court order on the premises without the presence of court sheriffs and other officials,” the police said.
The confrontation reportedly left several people injured, including one victim who sustained serious machete wounds.
“This action degenerated into a physical confrontation when other members of the NURTW attempted to resist them, which led to one victim being inflicted with severe machete wounds to the neck. He was rescued by the Police team, while several others who sustained varying degrees of injuries were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.”
Those arraigned include Ibikunle Baruwa, Sulaiman Musa, Nasiru Ibrahim, Alhaji Sadisu Musa, Dalha Suleiman, Abdullahi Garba, and Saheed Fojebi.
The police confirmed that the suspects were charged before Magistrate Court 1 in Wuse Zone 2, adding that calm has since been restored to the area.
