The Federal Capital Territory Police Command on Monday dismissed videos circulating on social media alleging police involvement in a shooting at the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) headquarters in Garki II, Abuja, describing them as false and misleading.
The command said its officers were only responding to restore order after receiving a distress call. It also confirmed that the court-reinstated NURTW National President, Tajudeen Baruwa, along with six others, had been arraigned over the violence at the headquarters.
In a statement, Police Public Relations Officer SP Josephine Adeh said the command received a report at about 7:00 a.m. on March 23, 2026, that approximately 300 individuals, armed with cutlasses, bottles, bows, and arrows, had stormed the NURTW premises and were removing items from the site.
“The Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, DCP Isyaku Sharu, promptly led a response team to the scene. Preliminary investigations revealed that the group was attempting to enforce a court order without the presence of court sheriffs or other authorised officials,” Adeh said.
She added that the situation escalated into a physical confrontation when other NURTW members resisted the move, resulting in one individual sustaining severe machete wounds to the neck. “The victim was rescued by the police team, while others who suffered varying degrees of injuries were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment,” she said.
Addressing the social media videos, Adeh said: “The FCT Police Command is aware of videos claiming that our personnel shot at NURTW members. These claims are false and misleading and appear intended to provoke public sentiment.”
Seven suspects — Sulaiman A. Musa, Nasiru Ibrahim, Alhaji Sadisu Musa, Dalha Suleiman, Abdullahi Garba, Saheed Fojebi, and Ibikunle T. Baruwa were arrested at the scene. They have been charged before Magistrates’ Court 1, Wuse Zone 2. Adeh confirmed that normalcy has since been restored to the area.
