- Police ordered Ajaero to present himself or a warrant for his arrest would be pursued
- Following this, the union organised an urgent meeting, with mandatory attendance for all leaders of affiliates and state chapters
- The NLC said that the police calling Ajaero was akin to calling upon Nigerian workers as a whole, called on the entire workforce in Nigeria to shut down the economy should Ajaero be arrested
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had called on its affiliate members and the entire workforce in Nigeria to shut down the economy immediately if the Nigerian Police should detain the Congress President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
The Deputy President of the NLC, Kabiru Ado Sani said that the police calling Ajaero was akin to calling upon Nigerian workers as a whole.
This was disclosed after the emergency National Executive Council meeting at the Labour House on Tuesday, August 20.
Police call to Ajaero is akin to calling upon Nigerian workers - NLC
He mentioned that Ajaero would respond to the Nigerian police's invitation, highlighting that the NLC is a recognised entity, but Congress needs additional time. He clarified that the decision came after consultations with their legal team, considering the police had summoned Ajaero yesterday with instructions to appear by 10 a.m. today.
He said, “So we are already working with our lawyers to look for an extension of time, but this does not legitimise the charges by the Nigerian police to the Congress leadership, and secondly, we resolve that in the event our Congress President was arrested or detained at any moment, we put our affiliate on red alert to mobilise our membership across the country, that all workers in this country should down tool their services.
“This is the resolution because Comrades, this organisation belongs to all of us, therefore, we should do everything possible to safeguard the safety of this organisation.
Police ordered Ajaero to present himself
The police ordered Ajaero to present himself at the IRT Complex, Abbattoir by Guzape Junction at 10 am on Tuesday, or a warrant for his arrest would be pursued.
The letter read, “This office is investigating a case of Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion, and Cybercrime in which you have been implicated.
“You are therefore required to report to the undersigned for an interview on Tuesday, 20th August 2024, at 10:00 hrs prompt, at Old Abattoir by Guzape Junction, Abuja, through the Team Leader on telephone no 08035179870, in connection with the above investigation.
“Be informed that if you fail to honour this letter, this office will have no choice but to issue a warrant for your arrest.”
DSS denied raiding NLC headquarters in Abuja
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) claimed the Department of State Services (DSS) ransacked its headquarters and removed some documents.
The Department of State Services, however, denied the act of raiding and removing documents at the Nigerian Labour Congress’s headquarters.