The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to shut down the entire economy if its national president, Joe Ajaero, is detained or arrested by the police. This decision was made during an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja, with some executives joining virtually.
The meeting began at 8:30 a.m., and the council resolved that Ajaero should comply with the police invitation. On Monday, reports surfaced that Ajaero had been summoned by the police for an “interview” related to charges of “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.”
The letter, dated August 19, 2024, and signed by ACP Adamu Mu’azu on behalf of the Commissioner of Police Intelligence, stated that Ajaero’s name had come up in ongoing investigations involving these serious allegations. The letter directed Ajaero to report to the IRT Complex at Abbattoir, near Guzape Junction, by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20, warning that a warrant for his arrest would be issued if he failed to appear.
Earlier, on July 7, security forces conducted a night raid on the NLC national secretariat in Abuja. According to NLC spokesperson Benson Upah, the raid occurred around 8:30 p.m., during which security personnel arrested the guards on duty and forced them to hand over the keys to offices on the second floor.
Upah explained that the operatives, who included members of the Nigeria Police Force, individuals in black T-shirts likely from the Department of State Services, and others in plain clothes, stormed the 10th floor of the NLC building, arrested the security officer on duty, and forced him to produce the keys to the offices on the second floor.
The police later claimed responsibility for the operation, stating it was part of an effort to uncover incriminating documents linked to an international “subversive” figure deemed a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Last week, the NLC rejected the police’s explanation for the raid, demanding the release of its detained members and the return of seized documents. The union also criticized the government’s attempts to interfere in its internal affairs, including a proposed reduction in the tenure of trade union leaders.
Further details are expected as the situation develops.
