The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has ramped up pressure on the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State, ordering the union’s top officials to appear in court to avoid imprisonment for alleged contempt.
In a ruling that has sent shockwaves through the transport sector, Justice Isaac Essien (PhD) ordered the Lagos State Chairman, Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle (commonly known as Sego), and the union’s Secretary, Usman Teslim, to appear before the court on October 15, 2026.
They are to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for allegedly disobeying the court’s previous judgment that recognised the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) as an independent body.
The committal proceedings stem from claims that despite the court’s ruling on December 11, 2025, NURTW officials have continued to flout the orders by issuing daily, weekly, and security tickets to commercial tricycle operators in Lagos.
Furthermore, the union is accused of continuing to organise tricycle operations in a manner that contravenes the court's directives.
Justice Essien dismissed a preliminary objection filed by the NURTW officials, which challenged the competence of the committal proceedings.
The respondents had argued that they were not personally served with the requisite Forms 86 and 87. However, the court held that it had previously granted leave for substituted service and noted that the respondents were fully aware of the proceedings, having participated through their counsel.
“The respondents cannot deny service after participating in the proceedings. This objection appears to be an attempt to elevate technicalities over substantial justice,” Justice Essien ruled.
Consequently, the court dismissed the objection and awarded N2 million in costs against the NURTW officials in favour of the judgment creditors.
In a further blow to the respondents, the court also awarded an additional N3 million in costs against them in the substantive committal proceedings.
The legal battle began with a judgment delivered on December 11, 2025, where Justice Essien directed the Lagos State Government, the Commissioner for Transportation, the Attorney-General, and several transport unions, including NURTW and RTEAN, to recognise TOAN as an independent trade union under the Trade Unions Act.
The court had ruled that the Lagos State Government lacked the authority to compel TOAN to operate under or merge with NURTW or RTEAN.
It further restrained the defendants from obstructing TOAN’s lawful activities and awarded N5 million in damages against the Lagos State Government and the Attorney-General for interfering with the association’s operations.
Earlier in the proceedings, the court also dismissed attempts by other judgment debtors to secure a stay of execution, noting that there was no competent appeal before the Court of Appeal to justify suspending enforcement. Those applicants were ordered to pay N1 million each in costs.
Before adjourning, Justice Essien criticised the unprofessional trend of filing fresh court processes after a matter had already been reserved for ruling, describing the practice as inconsistent with established court procedure.
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