Parts of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, were plunged into turmoil on Tuesday as two rival factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) engaged in a violent clash on Sapele Crescent, situated off Ladoke Akintola Boulevard in the Garki II district.
The conflict escalated dramatically, with reports of gunshots ringing through the air, leaving residents and onlookers in a state of shock. At the time of compiling this report, the exact number of casualties, if any, could not be ascertained, but the situation remained tense.
This incident underscores the deepening unrest within the NURTW, prompting calls for immediate intervention to avert a further deterioration of law and order.
According to reliable sources, the altercation erupted as supporters of NURTW President, Professor Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa, embarked on a march towards the union’s national headquarters, which is currently under the control of the Lagos Park Management Committee, led by Tajudeen Badru Agbede.
“It’s worth noting that members of the Lagos Park Management Committee, under Agbede’s leadership, forcefully took over the Secretariat a few weeks ago, displacing the president and other executives,” revealed an eyewitness to Vanguard.
In an attempt to regain control, supporters of the incumbent president mobilized themselves, aiming to forcefully evict Agbede and his faction. However, their efforts were met with a police blockade, leading to a violent confrontation that included the discharge of firearms, intensifying the gravity of the crisis.
Baruwa had previously sought intervention from both the police and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to mediate the situation, but all efforts remained fruitless.
“We are resolved to defend our mandate at all costs,” Baruwa had declared earlier, accusing former NURTW leaders of unlawfully occupying the union’s National Secretariat. He specifically pointed fingers at Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, the former president of the union, and Agbede, the former National Vice President, alleging that they had clandestine meetings with select past leaders of the union.
In a new development, Baruwa also alleged a perceived bias on the part of the police, suggesting that they favored the Lagos Park Management Committee. Consequently, he called upon the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olukayode Egbetokun and Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, to intervene urgently.
Emphasizing that only a court of competent jurisdiction had the authority to invalidate their mandate, Baruwa urged aggrieved members to follow due process and seek legal redress, warning that deviating from this path could plunge the union into anarchy. The situation remains volatile as authorities grapple with restoring order in the nation’s capital.
