Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was in the news after being arrested by Department of State Service (DSS) operatives.
Ajaero was about to take a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) on official business when DSS picked him up.
He was scheduled to attend the TUC conference in the United Kingdom. The arrest was made in connection with the continuing investigation against Andrew Whynne, a wanted British citizen.
Following the arrest, the NLC contacted all of its affiliates, state councils, and Nigerian workers, warning them to remain vigilant and on high alert.
The union also sought Ajaero’s release before Monday at midnight. The DSS freed Ajaero just a few minutes before the organized labor’s 12 p.m deadline.
Ajaero’s detention prompted widespread condemnation from notable Nigerians, rights groups, and civil society organisations, including Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Amnesty International, the TUC of the UK, CISLAC, and HURIWA, among others.
The NLC President’s arrest by the DSS infuriated the UK Trade Union Congress (TUC), which called for an immediate end to the harassment of Ajaero and other labor leaders.
However, the federal authorities defended Ajaero’s detention by claiming that the labor leader turned down an offer from a law enforcement organization.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Advisor to the President on Information and Strategy, denied any connection between his arrest and his position as president of the NLC in a statement released on Tuesday.
Recall that on Thursday, August 20, the President of the NLC accepted an invitation from the police force’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
This came after he received a police summons on August 19 telling him to report the following day and threatening to have him arrested if he didn’t show up.
Ajaero wrote the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to explain why he was unable to honor the summons on the specified date through human rights campaigner Femi Falana (SAN).
Written by Jennifer Amarachi
