Police Break Silence on Baruwa NURTW Crisis, Clarify Shooting of Union Members

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has denied claims circulating on social media that its officers shot at members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) during a disturbance at the union’s Garki II headquarters in Abuja.

Naija News reports that the FCT command described the reports as false and misleading.

The police said the incident followed a distress call reporting violent clashes between rival factions of the transport union.

According to the command, officers swiftly moved to the scene and arrested seven suspects.

Those arrested were identified as Sularman Musa, Nasiru Ibrahim, Alhaji Sadisu Musa, Dalha Suleiman, Abdullahi Garba, Saheed Fojebi and Ibikunle Baruwa.

The suspects have since been arraigned before Magistrate Court 1 in Wuse Zone 2.

The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said about 300 individuals armed with cutlasses, bottles, bows and arrows stormed the NURTW headquarters along Sapele Street around 7 a.m.

She explained that the group attempted to enforce a court order without the presence of court sheriffs or other officials.

“This action escalated into a physical confrontation when other union members resisted,” Adeh said.

Adeh disclosed that one victim sustained severe machete wounds to the neck during the clash and was rescued by the police.

She added that several others with varying degrees of injuries were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

The command insisted that officers did not discharge firearms during the operation.

According to Adeh, calm has since been restored in the area following police intervention.

The command urged residents of the FCT to support security agencies by providing timely information on threats to public safety.

It also provided emergency contact lines – 08032003913 and 08061581938 – for residents to report suspicious activities.

The police reiterated their commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all residents in the nation’s capital.