By Our Correspondent

National News – A leadership crisis within the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Nasarawa State has intensified after the union’s state leadership suspended six officials from branches in Karu Local Government Area.

The indefinite suspension was announced in early April 2026 following a controversial visit by the affected officials to the union’s national headquarters in Abuja in March.

The suspension letters were signed by the Nasarawa State Secretary of the NURTW, Idris Adamu, who said the disciplinary action followed alleged violations of the union’s constitution.

According to him, the officials travelled to the national headquarters without approval from the state council, which oversees the activities of all branch leaders in the state.

Adamu explained that the six officials were invited to explain their actions during meetings held on March 30 and March 31, 2026, but failed to attend.

He said the state council decided to suspend them indefinitely to allow a full investigation into their alleged involvement in a breach of union procedures at the Abuja headquarters.

“The state council needed to understand why branch officers would visit the national headquarters without authorisation.

When they failed to honour invitations to clarify their actions, the council had no option but to impose suspensions pending further investigation,” Adamu stated.

The suspended officials include several branch leaders from Mararaba and Uke, including chairmen, a treasurer and a branch secretary.

Their absence from key meetings, according to the state leadership, raised further concerns about compliance with union regulations.

However, the decision has sparked backlash within the union. The North-Central Zonal Chairman of the NURTW, Salihu Adamu, criticised the move, describing it as high-handed and unfair.

He claimed the suspended officials had simply accompanied colleagues to Abuja to enforce a court judgment that recognised Tajudeen Baruwa as the legitimate national president of the union.

The crisis reflects a wider leadership dispute within the NURTW between factions loyal to Baruwa and another group aligned with Musiliu Akinsanya.

Observers say the dispute is fuelling tensions across several states, prompting calls for intervention by government authorities and security agencies to restore stability in the transport union.