Femi Falana, a prominent human rights lawyer, has stated that the arrest of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), is unrelated to a previous police invitation.
Ajaero was arrested on Monday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, just before boarding a flight to the United Kingdom to attend a Trade Union Congress (TUC) conference.
Falana explained that while Ajaero had earlier been invited by the Nigeria Police Force for questioning regarding allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime, the arrest by the DSS appears to be for a different reason, which has not yet been disclosed.
“The invitation to Comrade Joe Ajaero by the police was rescheduled last week. I have contacted the police authorities. The arrest is not related to the police invitation,” Falana said.
He also added, “Comrade Ajaero was on his way to London to attend the ongoing TUC conference when he was arrested at the airport this morning by the SSS. No reason has been provided for the arrest by the SSS.”
Ajaero had previously honored a police invitation on August 29 following an August 19 letter signed by Adamu Mu’azu, Assistant Commissioner of Police, in which the NLC president was expected to appear at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) complex.
The letter warned that an arrest warrant would be issued if he failed to comply. Ajaero had requested more details about the allegations before responding to the police.
The NLC President’s legal entanglements are rooted in a series of events that began on August 7, when police operatives raided the NLC building in Abuja, allegedly searching for “seditious materials” linked to the #EndBadGovernance protests held earlier that month.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, later claimed that police had traced one of the masterminds of the Sudan conflict to a shop within the NLC headquarters.
Despite the growing legal challenges, Ajaero has remained defiant, accompanied by Falana and other labour activists during his interactions with the police.
The police have also issued a new invitation for Ajaero and NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja to appear on September 5, over allegations of criminal intimidation, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, and property damage.
As the situation develops, both the NLC and Falana continue to press for transparency regarding Ajaero’s arrest, with calls for the DSS to clarify the reasons for their actions.