The President, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Tajudeen Baruwa, and 24 other executive members arrested by the Nigerian Police for sundry allegations have regained freedom after meeting their bail conditions in Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
The NURTW members’ bail was said to have been made possible, barely one week after their arrest, following the intervention of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) leadership led by Joe Ajaero.
Baruwa and others’ release was disclosed on Friday by the NLC through a short statement released on its official social media handle, alerting members that their intervention has yielded the desired success.
According to the statement, Congress Intervention Secures the release of the Duly Elected Leadership of the National Union Of Road Transport Workers, NUTRW who were arrested, Intimidated and Maltreated For no just cause.
The Struggle Continues”.
This came barely 24 hours after an Abuja Magistrate Court granted Baruwa, who was detained by the Nigerian police with three other national officers and 21 others in the Federal Capital Territory bail.
The NURTW national president was reportedly granted bail by the court after the Nigerian police secretly arraigned the accused yesterday.
It was gathered that the police had secretly taken them to court with the hope of remanding them in prison custody but they were finally granted bail.
They were arrested by the police over a clash by factions of the union on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, in Abuja.
They were arrested on Wednesday, September 13 following an invitation by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba and later detained at the office of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) located in Guzape, over a clash by factions of the union in Abuja.
The labour union accused the police of taking sides with one of the factions in the crisis rocking the union’s leadership.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the NURTW Acting President, Kabiru Minjibir while reacting to the illegal arrest and detention of Baruwa and his executive members.
The statement asked how the police could descend so low as to take sides with Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya’s (aka MC Oluomo) group, adding that the faction was backed by the government for carrying out daylight coup d’état in the union.
NLC expressed worry about the action of the police in releasing Alhaji Tajudeen Badru Agbede, after staging a violent attack on the union’s secretariat.
The statement noted that NLC had warned the police on the matter but they persisted in their unlawful intervention by providing cover for those imposing themselves on the union.
It said the union engaged the police in discussions and reached an understanding on a roadmap towards peace to safeguard lives and property but “it is disheartening that their concerns were not heeded and the roadmap not implemented”.