NURTW Chairman, Sego, Secretary Remanded in Ikoyi Prison for Disobeying Court Order
The Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Comrade Mustapha Adio Adekunle, popularly known as Sego, and his Secretary, Comrade Usman Teslim, have been remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre for disobeying a court order.
Justice I. J. Essien of the National Industrial Court, Lagos Division, gave the order on Monday, November 2, 2026, at the resumed hearing of committal proceedings for contempt of a judgement delivered on December 12, 2025.
The judgement bordered on the alleged illegal usurpation of the operations of the Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria, TOAN, in Lagos State by the NURTW and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN.
The court had summoned Comrade Mustapha Adio Adekunle and five others to appear before it on October 15, 2026, to show cause why they should not be committed to prison for flouting its order.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the 6th judgement debtor, Babatunde Lawal, failed to produce his clients in court, a development that infuriated the judge, who accused him of aiding his clients to continue to disobey the judgement of the court.
The judge declined to hear the counsel, stating that he would only recognise him if he produced his clients in court.
In a related development, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, who held brief for Muiz Banire, SAN, counsel to Mustapha Adekunle, pleaded with the court to adjourn the matter to enable him produce the judgement debtors. Falana undertook to communicate the decision of the court to his clients.
The judge, however, was unmoved by the plea, noting that the respondents had developed the habit of treating court judgements with ignominy.
“I have heard you but I hate to refuse you. This is for the integrity, honour and sanctity of the court. If everybody disobeys court orders, then the court is finished,” Justice Essien said.
He subsequently ordered the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies to effect the arrest of Mustapha Adekunle and Usman Teslim on sight, and directed that they be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre until November 16, 2026, the next adjourned date.
It will be recalled that in his earlier judgement, Justice Essien had restrained the respondents, including the Governor of Lagos State, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the Commissioner for Transportation, the NURTW, RTEAN and the Board of Trustees of the Drivers Association, from interfering in tricycle transport operations, holding that only TOAN has the sole authority to control tricycle operations in the state.
The court also ordered the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to set aside the government white paper merging the operations of NURTW and TOAN in the interest of peace and sanctity of justice, describing the act as an unlawful takeover of the powers of the Registrar of Trade Unions.
