By Ado Oyeyemi
Solicitors to the National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, , on Monday condemned the Nigeria Police Force over the alleged harassment and arrest of their client, describing the action as unlawful and a violation of subsisting court judgments.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the legal representatives accused the police of bias and failure to enforce valid court rulings which affirmed Baruwa as the duly elected leader of the union.
The lawyers stated that the leadership dispute within the NURTW had been conclusively determined by the courts, citing judgments of the National Industrial Court delivered on March 11, 2024, and the Court of Appeal on November 8, 2024, which upheld Baruwa’s election.
They added that a further enforcement order granted on March 6, 2026, directed the freezing of the union’s accounts and the eviction of individuals occupying the union’s secretariat unlawfully.
According to the statement, despite repeated requests to the police to enforce the judgments, the law enforcement agency allegedly failed to act.
The solicitors also alleged that efforts to draw the attention of the Attorney General of the Federation to the matter yielded no response.
The situation, however, took a dramatic turn on Monday when Baruwa reportedly moved to take possession of the union’s national secretariat in line with the court rulings.
The lawyers maintained that the exercise was carried out peacefully and without resistance, noting that union members had already aligned with the court’s decision affirming Baruwa’s leadership.
They, however, alleged that the police subsequently intervened and arrested Baruwa alongside some union officials, accusing them of public disturbance.
Describing the allegation as baseless, the legal team argued that their client was merely enforcing valid court judgments.
“The arrest is unlawful and amounts to an abuse of the criminal justice process. It also undermines the authority of the courts,” the statement read.
The lawyers further accused the police of acting in bad faith, insisting that the force had failed in its responsibility to uphold the rule of law.
They called on President to intervene by directing the Inspector-General of Police to withdraw all charges against Baruwa and provide security at the union secretariat.
The legal team also urged the authorities to ensure compliance with court judgments and sanction any officers found to have acted contrary to the law.
They warned that any further attempt to harass or detain Baruwa and members of his executive would attract legal action, including enforcement of fundamental rights and claims for damages.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigeria Police Force were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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