Police deny detaining NLC President Ajaero, creating confusion

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, has not been placed under arrest, according to the Imo State Police Command.

Ajaero was reportedly captured in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

It is stated that heavily armed police officers abducted him from the NLC State Council Secretariat and took him to an undisclosed place.

In a statement signed by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Secretary General, Comrade Nuhu Toro, and Labour’s General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, the union said that the Imo state government has persisted in using violence and intimidation against trade unions and their leaders in the state.

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“The government unleashed blood-curdling mayhem on the workers just as Nigerian workers gathered earlier this morning led by the leadership of the two labour centres to demonstrate our outrage over the serial and habitual abuse and violation of workers’ rights in the state,” the workers claimed.

In response to news of Ajaero’s detention, ASP Henry Okoye, the Imo State Police Command spokesperson, stated in a statement that Ajaero was taken to safety after fighting broke out during an NLC meeting in Owerri.

“The Imo State Police Command would like to provide clarification over certain unclear reports that suggest Comrade Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, was arrested in Owerri.

It is important to note that the NLC President visited Owerri as part of the Congress’s plans to organise labourers for a massive protest demonstration in the state.

During the planning stages, there were reports of proposals to lock down some crucial facilities, mainly the airport. This prompted some workers and other individuals to oppose the picketing process, which resulted in physical altercations, intense arguments, and ultimately an attack on the president’s person by a mob.

“The Imo Police Command promptly dispatched police personnel to the scene upon receiving this report, and the Officer in Charge exercised his operational discretion by placing the NLC President under protective custody at the State Command Headquarters to guarantee his safety and prevent him from being lynched during the ensuing altercation.”

After the attack, Okoye said, the Commissioner of Police gave the order for the NLC president to be taken to the Police Medical Services in Owerri, where he would receive medical attention. As a result, he was given sufficient security cover to continue with his other scheduled appointments for the day.

He clarified, however, that the National Liberation Party (NLC) is prohibited from organising the planned protest march in Owerri by a court injunction issued by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which is based in Owerri, with Suit No. NICN/OW/41/2023, dated October 27, 2023.

According to Okoye, CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde, the Commissioner of Police for the Imo State Police Command, has urged all relevant parties to guarantee adherence to the court’s orders.

He claimed that even as the state prepared for the upcoming election process on November 11, 2023, the CP made this announcement in order to prevent endangering the security preparations that are in place in Owerri and other areas of Imo State.