Baruwa Faction Takes NURTW Secretariat in Abuja

Tajudeen Baruwa, the court-recognized president of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, led supporters in taking control of the union's national secretariat in Abuja on Monday, enforcing rulings that invalidated the leadership of rival Musiliu Akinsanya, known as MC Oluomo.

The move marked a significant escalation in a leadership dispute that has divided the influential transport union since 2024. Baruwa's faction entered the headquarters in the early hours, displacing occupants loyal to Akinsanya after nearly two years of legal battles. Officials from Baruwa's group described the action as a peaceful execution of court orders, following formal notifications to police. However, the operation quickly drew a heavy security response, with personnel from the Nigerian Army, police, Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Department of State Services cordoning off the premises and restricting access.

The crisis stems from competing claims to the union's presidency. In May 2023, Baruwa was reelected at a zonal delegates conference, followed by a quadrennial national delegates conference in August that year, which inaugurated his executive....