CITIZENS COMPASS—A fresh round of nationwide protest May occur should the Nigeria Police Force fail to provide evidences linking Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to terrorism financing levied against him on Monday.
Citizens Compass reported that the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force had invited Ajaero for investigation over allegations of terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cybercrime, and other related offences.
The invitation was contained in a letter dated August 19, 2024, and signed by ACP Adamu Muazu on behalf of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, IRT.
It expected the NLC President to honour the invite on Tuesday.
However, the NLC lawyer, Femi Falana, had replied to the Police that his client would be unavoidably absent due to a scheduled engagement.
A letter dated August 20 and signed by Samuel Ogala on behalf of Femi Falana, stated that the Ajaero was unavailable and would honour the invitation on Wednesday, August 29, 2024.
The Labour union in a statement on Tuesday, threatened to embark on a nationwide strike and protests over the police invitation.
The workers threatened to commence immediate actions should the Police detain or harm Ajaero or any of their leaders in the course of investigations.
This was the outcome of a communique issued after the emergency National Executive Council of the Union in Abuja which directed all the state chapters and affiliates to mobilise workers for an indefinite strike should if any evil befall its President, after the invite.
“If anything happens to the President of the Congress or any other leader of the Congress in furtherance of these tendentious allegations by the state;
“NEC puts all its affiliates and state councils alert to proceed on indefinite nationwide strike action by midnight today.”
The NLC also called on all civil society allies and the general populace to stand in solidarity with the union at “this critical moment”.
“This is nothing but a travesty and a blatant attempt to stifle the voice of the working people and their leadership, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98. In light of this, the NEC of the NLC resolves as follows.
“The NLC shall honour the invitation extended to its President by the Nigeria Police but will demand for extension of time given the nature of the invitation.
“However, we wish to state unequivocally that this does not in any way legitimise the baseless allegations levelled against him.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress remains resolute in its commitment to defending the rights and interests of workers and the Nigerian people. We shall not be cowed or intimidated by these desperate attempts to silence us.
The NEC strongly condemns the continued harassment of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and other Labour leaders. We view this as a calculated attempt to weaken and destabilise the labour movement, which has always stood as a bastion of democratic principles and the voice of the Nigerian masses.
The NEC warns the state to desist from its evil intentions and stop the ongoing witch-hunt against the leaders of the Congress forthwith,” NLC said in the communique.”
The police had threatened to arrest Mr. Ajaero should he fail to honour their invitation by 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
CACOL wants FG to charge Ajaero to court if….
The Center for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, (CACOL), has called on the Federal Government to charge Ajaero to court provided it has incriminating evidence against him.
The civil society group charged the Government not to delay his trial following the invite.
In a statement on Tuesday, by the Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, and signed by its Director of Administration and Programmes, Tola Oresanwo, the Group stated, “The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, received the news of the invitation of the President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero for questioning by the Nigeria Police with mixed feelings. It would be recalled that the police had on July 7, conducted a night raid on the NLC national secretariat in Abuja, a move that triggered a media war between the organised labour and the police.”
“We would like to call on the government to immediately charge the NLC President to court if truly they have evidence to back up the claim that he is involved in any crime whatsoever against the state. We would also like to call on the government to be ready to compensate him for the embarrassment if the claim were later found to be trumped-up charges.
“We have observed that some agencies of the state are carrying out clandestine operations to arrest and persecute those that participated in the #Endbadgovernance protest. For the umpteenth time, we are reiterating our position of disappointment over the arrest of protesters just based on publicly associating with a protest aimed at decrying the socio-economic situation in the country and calling for far-reaching reforms that could give necessary relief to the majority of Nigerians.
“Since citizens of this great country have the right to support any peaceful protest that is in tandem with their personal opinion or conviction, it is wrong for any agency of government to launch a campaign of calumny or attempt to witch-hunt or arrest them based on their affiliation or association with a particular protest. It is therefore tantamount to gross abuse of power and authority for any agency of government to condescend so low to the extent of harassing citizens as a result of their involvement in any peaceful protest.
“While we are using this medium to advise the Nigeria Police and other Nigerian security apparatus to be rightly and correctly guided of their operations, nuances, and limitations under a democracy, so as not to resort to any arm-twisting or repressive attitudes over legitimate and peaceful agitations under any guise. The Police as an agent of the Executive, judiciary, and other arms of government must at all times, be seen to operate within the ambit of the rule of law and Separation of power, without which the state and the general public descend into an Hobbesian state of Nature. As a veritable stakeholder in the Nigerian project, we would like to reiterate that we are not in any way in support of anyone or group of persons engaging in terrorism financing, arson, treasonable felony, or any other crime against the state.”
Similarly, the Network of Abuja Left Groups has called for the immediate resignation of the National Security Adviser to the President.
It urged the Government to “prosecute all security agents who shot and maimed peaceful #EndBadGovernance protesters now!
“Release all of those abducted by the NSA and the DSS for being part of the protests, including Micheal Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Angel, Comrade Opaoluwa, and others!
“Release and stop the unjust trial of protesters in the Northern part of the country who were incited to violence by the security forces!
“End all attempts to suppress the democratic rights of Nigerians to protests, whether the attacks on protesters and labour unions or through the draconian Counter-Subversion Bill 2024. Kill the Counter-Subversion Bill now! “
The Group stated this in a recent statement signed by
Omole Ibukun of Creative Change Centre, Kayode Salako, Revolutionary Socialist Movement, and Akande Daniel Babatunde of Movement for Socialist Alternative among others.
