The factions of Tajudeen Baruwa and Musiliu Akinsanya, well known as MC Oluomo, clashed on Monday, March 23, 2026, at the secretariat of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Abuja, as Baruwa attempted to assume control of the Union’s secretariat on the basis of two court judgements upholding his position as the president of the Union.
Accompanied by several supporters and loyalists, some of whom were reportedly armed with deadly weapons ranging from machetes to firearms, Baruwa attempted to usurp the control of the secretariat. His attempt erupted into a flashpoint between the two factions, before the intervention of the Nigerian Police Force, who arrested and arraigned Tajudeen Baruwa, alongside some of his supporters.
Addressing his supporters and journalists who were at the scene before he was whisked away by the Police Force, Tajudeen Baruwa explained that he was acting in good faith on the strength of the concurrent judgments of the trial and appellate courts, which affirmed him as the rightful president of the NURTW. Insisting that he and his allies were merely “taking over in a peaceful manner” in a bid to “carry out the court’s orders,” he noted that MC Oluomo has “refused to obey court orders after waiting for about two years.”
The contention that escalated into a fracas culminating in Mr. Baruwa’s latest arrest began to gather steam in May 2023, when Mr. Baruwa was re-elected as the president of NURTW and later inaugurated at a quadrennial national conference in Lafia on August 23, 2023. This re-election found displeasure in a rival faction of Tajudeen Agbede, Baruwa’s vice president, who dismissed Baruwa’s eligibility to represent the union.
Despite Baruwa’s re-election, a committee led by Musiliu Akinsaya, MC Oluomo, allegedly loyal to Tajudeen Agbede, defiantly went on to usurp control of the secretariat of the union on the 28th of August, 2023. On the 13th of the following month, the Police force detained Baruwa, among others. The 2023 arrest and detention of Baruwa led to the formation of a caretaker committee spearheaded by Tajudeen Agbede. It is from this committee that MC Oluomo began to lay claims to the reins of the union.
A disgruntled Baruwa sought the involvement of the court, and on March 11, 2024, Justice O.O Oyewumi of the National Industrial Court ruled in favour of Baruwa, upholding his re-election as the National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for a second term. In the same breath, the court recognised the constitutionality of the Quadrennial National Delegate Conference held on August 23, 2023, in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where Baruwa and other national officers were originally inaugurated. In effect, this ruling dismissed the caretaker committee led by Tajudeen Agbede, since the court could not find any justification necessitating the committee. The court also curtailed the interference of the former president, Najeem Usman Yasin, in the administration of the union.
Displeased by the decision of the National Industrial Court, the appellants, fronted by Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin and Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, amongst others, marched on to the Court of Appeal in Abuja Division to dismiss the judgment of the National Industrial Court. This adventure would come to nought as the appellate body, taking a dismissive view of the appeal as “lacking merit,” upheld the NIC’s enforcement of Baruwa’s presidency on the 8th of November 2024. In addition, the appellate court further ordered the appellant to pay N100,000 to the respondents.”
Despite the ruling of the appellate body, which came a day prior, reports claimed MC Oluomo had been elected unanimously as the new president of the union during a conference which was held in Osogbo, Osun State. Baruwa would later dismiss this election as “blatant” and as an “affront to the judiciary” since it offended the latest ruling of the appellate court given in Baruwa’s own favour. During this address, Baruwa had called upon the police and the Attorney General of the Federation to effect the order of the court.
Despite his frantic clarifications that he was not at the secretariat to incite violence, Baruwa’s presence and the ensuing contretemps took a violent turn. Loyalists to Baruwa broke into the premises, chanting “Say Baruwa,” and began kicking down doors to the offices at the secretariat in an apparent attempt to gain control of the building. In the free-for-all that ensued, members of the warring factions sustained injuries of different degrees, with one sustaining life-threatening gashes to the neck. The forceful breakage, the altercations and injuries make Baruwa’s claim to a “peaceful takeover” hard to swallow, even with a fine measure of salt. Although Baruwa denied inciting the attacks. According to him, “the other faction attacked one of our members, who is now in the hospital.”
Perhaps a more disturbing paradox lay with the involvement of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), its perceived reluctance, and the failure to give effect to two outstanding orders of the court. As the free-for-all took a gory turn, the police force arrived on the scene to quell the pell-mell.
According to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, they reported to the scene following an alert that they received of the disorder going down at the NURTW’s secretariat. The PRO of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, explained that they received the alert at about 7:00 am about the presence of armed men at the secretariat, and it was this notice that spurred the response team, led by DCP Isyaku Sharu, to the scene. While the police noted that the “suspects” acted in pursuance of a court order, they were unaided by the presence of “court sheriffs and other officials.”
One cannot help but ponder whether there is a selectivity about the way the law enforcement agencies go about enforcing the law. Recall (as stated above) that in the aftermath of the ruling of the appellate court, Mr. Baruwa had publicly appealed to the relevant authorities, including the police, to enforce the decision of the court. Additionally, he made it clear that before taking it upon himself to effect the judgment of the court through his attempted siege on the headquarters of the NURTW, he beckoned to the relevant bodies. Unfortunately, Baruwa revealed that despite his notices, the bodies in question appeared reluctant. Oddly, the police force was quick to respond to a distress call against the challenged Baruwa.
Although MC Oluomo publicly declared through his Instagram page yesterday that he had filed an appeal and “a stay of execution has been duly entered.” However, as at press time, no public details about MC Oluomo’s purported appeal has been released. While it is possible that an appeal has indeed been filed, it is also possible—and this may most likely be the case—that between the time the judgment was given in favour of Baruwa and the time of MC Oluomo’s purported appeal, there was more than enough time for the law enforcement authorities to have effected the judgment of the court. Should this be the case, the sudden cold feet of the enforcement authorities further adds to an unsettling trend now customary when a matter concerns someone or a group of persons from the camp of the ruling party ( or more strictly, persons or parties loyal to the president). The mills of justice become agonizingly slow, and in most cases, are unable to function when parties loyal to the president are on the losing side of a court’s judgment.
MC Oluomo’s fanatic support for President Tinubu is common knowledge. On several occasions, MC Oluomo has canvassed support for the current president, most especially during President Tinubu’s presidential campaigns. During the president’s campaign, Oluomo led rallies and made not a few public appearances in relation to his efforts in support of Tinubu’s politicking for the office of the presidency—even to his financial sacrifices for Tinubu’s sake. His affiliation with Tinubu is thoroughly well-known and even runs further than meets the eye, to the extent that the Federal High Court in Lagos “restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from contracting MC Oluomo to distribute 2023 election materials in Lagos State” for fears that he may compromise the integrity of the election. MC Oluomo has also once infamously issued “veiled threats to Lagosians who will not be voting for the All Progressive Congress during the gubernatorial elections. As reported by Culture Custodian, “MC Oluomo, whose real name is Musiliu Akinsanya, has long been a supporter of the APC and has been alleged by many to be a mob boss.”
Thus, considering his instrumentality to the ambitions of the President, his son, Seyi Tinubu, and the APC, however violent and unlawful they may be, it takes no gift of insight to understand why the wheels of the justice of Nigeria’s legal system may lose its efficacy when confronted with someone like MC Oluomo. Speaking about the forthcoming elections, while MC Oluomo may be admittedly very instrumental to the political cause of his Czars, his instrumentality alone can only go so far. The potential reach and mobilization that the seat of the NURTW will bring to Tinubu’s — and probably Seyi Tinubu’s—2027 aim is strategic and monumental. The NURTW is an independent union with thousands of workers across the country. A control of such a body by the APC is a huge leap towards amassing grassroots support over and above any opposition. This explains why a loyalist to Tinubu is willing to fight tooth and nail for the leadership of the NURTW.
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