Labour reacts to fresh police invitation to Ajaero, NLC secretary

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed it’s dissatisfaction with a second police invitation extended to its President, Joe Ajaero, and General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja.

The labour union has described the move as an attempt at intimidation and a blatant witch-hunt by state authorities.

The police, in a letter signed by CP Rufus Alajide on behalf of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department, stated that the latest invitation was part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of criminal intimidation, malicious damage to property, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace.

In response, Comrade Benson Upah, NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, reaffirmed the union’s commitment to lawful conduct.

“Labour is a law-abiding organisation, and the president and the general secretary, who have been invited, are also law-abiding citizens,” Upah stated.

He dismissed the accusations against the union leaders, asserting that, “This is a clear case of witch-hunt and intimidation using the institutions of the state.”

Upah expressed concern over what he perceives as a deliberate agenda to target and silence the NLC. He pointed to the repeated invitations and a recent raid on the NLC office as evidence of this campaign.

“This invitation, coming on the heels of the last one, clearly suggests a manifest intent by the state; it is so obvious. Those who were initially in doubt can now see that we never acted in breach of the law,” Upah said.

He condemned the raid as “a violation of our rights and an act of impunity intended to scare, harass, and intimidate.”

Despite the mounting pressure, Upah assured that the NLC would not succumb to intimidation.

While he refrained from outlining the union’s next steps, he made it clear that the harassment would not go unchallenged.

“Even if we are in a police state, this harassment cannot continue indefinitely. I want to assure you of this,” he said.

The fresh summons comes shortly after Ajaero had complied with a previous police invitation over allegations including criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.

The repeated actions have drawn criticism from labour unions and civil society organisations, who argue that the government is “determined to silence dissenting voices within the labour movement”.