Despite Monday’s takeover of the national secretariat of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) by the group loyal to Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, his rival, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (popularly known as MC Oluomo) said that he remains the National President of the body.
The Baruwa group hinged its action on a series of court rulings, which it said reshaped the union’s power structure.
The Police also announced the arrest of seven suspects following a clash at the NURTW headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
In a statement on his Instagram page on Monday, Akinsanya described the development as a ‘forceful takeover’, and maintained that due legal processes were ongoing.
He said he was not a defendant in the judgement relied upon by Baruwa and disclosed that the ruling had already been appealed, with a stay of execution in place.
The statement read: ‘The National President wishes to intimate members of the union and the general public that he was not a defendant in the purported judgement.
‘The judgement has been appealed, and a stay of execution has been duly entered.
‘He has not engaged with Mr. Baruwa or any individual, aware that cases are pending in court.
‘The situation is under the control of security agencies.
‘Alhaji Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya remains the National President of NURTW’.
The union leader urged members to remain calm, peaceful and law-abiding, stressing that he remains the National President of the NURTW.
In a statement by the spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) command, Superintendent Josephine Adeh, she said that videos circulating on social media alleging that police personnel shot NURTW members were ‘false and misleading’.
Adeh added that the videos were intended to ‘arouse public sentiment and misinform residents’.
She said that the command received a distress call at about 7 a.m. on Monday, reporting about 300 individuals storming the NURTW headquarters in Garki.
According to Adeh, 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, 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 explained the action escalated into a confrontation when other NURTW members resisted the move.
Adeh said that one union member sustained a severe machete injury to the neck during the clash.
She said that the victim was rescued, while others with varying injuries were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, adding that the seven suspects had been charged to court and normalcy restored in the area.
Both rival camps have been laying claims to national leadership following a series of court cases and internal disputes.
In assuming control of the nation secretariat on Monday, Baruwa had said that the action was in execution of judgements of the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal, which upheld his position as the union’s president, noting that his faction had waited nearly two years for compliance with the rulings.
The takeover reportedly heightened tension at the secretariat, with Baruwa alleging that one of his supporters was attacked during the process, even as he maintained that the exercise was peaceful and in line with court directives.
