The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismissed viral claims alleging that its officers opened fire during a violent clash at the headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Garki II, Abuja, describing the reports as false and misleading.
According to the command, police operatives were only deployed to the scene to restore order following a distress call reporting unrest at the union’s national secretariat.
Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the incident occurred in the early hours of March 23, 2026, when about 300 individuals allegedly stormed the premises armed with dangerous weapons, including cutlasses, bottles, bows, and arrows.
She explained that the Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Isyaku Sharu, led a rapid response team to the location after the distress call was received at about 7:00 a.m.
Preliminary investigations, she said, revealed that the group attempted to enforce a court judgment without the presence of authorised court officials such as sheriffs — an action that triggered resistance from other union members and escalated into a violent confrontation.
During the clash, one individual reportedly sustained severe machete injuries to the neck, while several others were injured. Police operatives rescued the victim and ensured that the injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Adeh emphasised that contrary to circulating videos, there was no shooting by police personnel, noting that such claims were aimed at inciting public sentiment.
She further confirmed that seven suspects, including the court-reinstated NURTW National President, Ibikunle Baruwa, were arrested at the scene.
Others arrested include Sulaiman A. Musa, Nasiru Ibrahim, Alhaji Sadisu Musa, Dalha Suleiman, Abdullahi Garba, and Saheed Fojebi.
The suspects have since been arraigned before Magistrates’ Court 1 in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, while calm has been restored to the area.
The development comes amid an ongoing leadership tussle within the NURTW, following Baruwa’s return to the union’s national secretariat after reportedly displacing former president Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, based on a series of court rulings.
