The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) is currently embroiled in a heated leadership crisis, with two factions vying for the control of the union's national secretariat in Abuja. KEHINDE OSASONA examines the issues in this report.
How it all started
The trouble began when Tajudeen Baruwa, who was declared the rightful president by the National Industrial Court and upheld by the Court of Appeal, attempted to take over the secretariat on March 23, 2026.
Baruwa's faction claimed they were enforcing valid court judgments, but the rival faction, led by Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo), resisted the attempt, leading to clashes and injuries.
The Court of Appeal had dismissed the appeal filed by MC Oluomo's loyalists, ruling that it lacked merit and awarded N100,000 in costs against the appellants.
As the face-off escalates, Baruwa's faction had waited nearly two years to regain control of the secretariat, which they claimed had been unlawfully occupied. At a point, the police intervened, and Baruwa was arrested along with several of his supporters. The police claimed they responded to a distress call and were out to restore order.
About eight unionists were arrested alongside Baruwa and docked, a situation that got Baruwa's legal team infuriated. They accused the police of bias and refusal to enforce court orders.
But as that was playing out, MC Oluomo insisted that he remained the legitimate president of NURTW, saying the judgment had been appealed and a stay of execution had been entered.
Two court judgements
The Baruwa said it had two favourable court verdicts, one by the NICN and the other by the Court of Appeal in Abuja respectively. On the strength of that, Baruwa and his supporters across the nation mobilised and took over the secretariat from the Oluomo faction, a development that the other faction described as "illegal occupation."
Addressing newsmen at the secretariat after the takeover, Baruwa said he had notified the Nigerian police with copies of the judgments, empowering it to take back the secretariat.
Blueprint Weekend had reported earlier that the appellate court in Abuja had also, in a judgment delivered on November 8 on the appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/293/2024, with a certified true copy (CTC), confirmed Baruwa as the legitimate president of the NURTW.
The decision upholds an earlier judgment of the lower court, which was delivered on March 11, 2024, where Baruwa was recognised as the union's president.
A three-member panel comprising Justices Hamma Akawu Barka, Nnamdi Dimgba, and Asmau Ojuolape Akanbi dismissed the appeal filed by Najeem Usman Yasin, Tajudeen Agbede, and others, ruling that the appeal lacked merit. It, therefore, upheld the industrial court's decision which validated Baruwa's presidency.
The appellate court further awarded N100,000 in costs against the appellants, who are known loyalists of MC Oluomo.
Appellants in the appeal (who were defendants before the NICN) are Yasin, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, Alhaji Aliyu Ore, Kayode Agbeyangi, Alhaji Alhassan Haruna 313, Aliyu Tanimu and Alhaji Hakeem Adeosun; while respondents in the appeal who were claimants before the NICN are Baruwa,Bello Adamu,Eugene Job,Danjuma Saidu;Prince Isah Usman;Suleiman Adamu;Odion Olaye JP.
'A Threat to industrial harmony'
However, about 24 hours after takeover of the secretariat, the faction loyal to Akinsanya alleged that it's secretariat was invaded by suspected hoodlums, describing the incident as a breach of due process and a threat to industrial harmony.
The factional General Secretary of the union, Kayode Agbeyangi, alleged that a former president of the union stormed the secretariat in the early hours of the day, purportedly acting on a court judgment without prior notice.
He said the incident, which occurred around 7:00 a.m., disrupted normal activities, preventing staff and officials from resuming work.
Agbeyangi maintained that the action was unlawful, stressing that the former president should have followed established legal procedures rather than resorting to force. He disclosed at that point that the union had instructed its legal team to challenge the judgment, noting that an appeal and a stay of execution had already been filed.
According to him, several cases involving the union are still pending before the National Industrial Court, some of which predate the judgment being enforced.
Akinsanya, while also speaking with newsmen, described the incident as a "forceful takeover," insisting that due legal processes were still ongoing.
A fresh legal battle
About 72 hours later, the hostilities berthed a fresh legal battle between the factions laying claims to the national secretariat.
The FCT Police Command reportedly charged the Baruwa-led faction to court on an alleged "self-help" attempt to reclaim the union's national headquarters in Abuja.
The action followed police operatives' move to dislodge the Baruwa group shortly after they had successfully gained entry into the union's secretariat and were ready to resume activities.
During the operation, findings by Blueprint Weekend revealed that several members of the union were reportedly assaulted and chased out of the premises, while key leaders, including Baruwa, were taken into custody.
Fighting back, the general-secretary, Suleiman Abdulkadir Musa, insisted that the Baruwa-led leadership of the union holds a valid mandate to control the union's national headquarters, citing a subsisting court judgement in its favour.
Musa maintained that the group acted on the strength of a judgement delivered by the Court of Appeal, which affirmed an earlier ruling of the National Industrial Court in March 2024. He argued further that the police charges were misplaced, stressing that the Constitution empowers parties to enforce valid
"When we took over, the police came and chased us out. So many of our members were chased out; some were even beaten by the police. Those they invited went to the command, and after giving their statements, they felt they had to take us to court. So we are dealing with the issue of the court now."
Also protesting, legal counsel to Baruwa, Tolu Babaleye, called on Tunji Disu, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), to enforce existing court judgements on the leadership disputes.
Babaleye who spoke at a press conference in Abuja insisted that judgements from the national industrial court and the court of appeal have affirmed his client as the lawfully elected president of the union.
He pointed out that a two-year delay in enforcing court judgements on the leadership dispute prompted his client to take possession of the union's secretariat.
"On Monday, March 23, 2026, Comrade Baruwa, exercising his lawful rights, moved into the NURTW national office and took over peacefully.
"There was no resistance. There was no violence. This was not an act of thuggery; it was an act of legal self-help borne out of the frustration of a man whose rights have been trampled upon despite possessing valid court judgements," he said.
The lawyer expressed surprise that the police, whom he said had failed to act on judicial pronouncements for about two years, could suddenly move to effect arrests.
"Instead of arresting the illegal occupants who had held the office in defiance of the courts, the police arrested Comrade Ibikunle Baruwa, the man with the judgement.
"He was taken to court and charged with public disturbance, a charge so baseless it insults the intelligence of even the most casual observer. How can a man exercising his right to assume an office granted to him by the court of appeal be guilty of public disturbance?" he lamented.
He described the development as "a pure and unadulterated case of contempt of court not just by individuals but by institutional machinery of state".
'Baruwa, NURTW victims of govt's interest'
A member of the union from Kogi, who does not want his name in print, spoke exclusively to Blueprint Weekend over the leadership tussle and said,"Baruwa is just being cheated unnecessarily"and that despite that,he still maintained his cool.
He expressed the frustration of the union,saying,"Imagine someone who is a legitimate winner,having been elected lawfully by our union,but ever since he was never allowed to sit in peace and steer the ship ofthe union."
"I learntthe NLCwadedinatpoint,butIthinktheyhavenotdoneenoughtorescueBaruwafromthesepowerfulcliquesingovernmentholdinghimandtheuniondown."