The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly condemned the arrest of its President, Joe Ajaero, calling it a “brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation” by the Nigerian government. Ajaero was detained by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, while en route to the United Kingdom for an official engagement.
In a statement issued by Benson Upah, NLC spokesperson, the union revealed that Ajaero was “whisked away” by DSS agents on his way to attend an international labour conference in the UK, hosted by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain.
The NLC decried the arrest as an attempt to silence dissent and opposition voices in Nigeria.
“Ajaero’s arrest thwarts his plan to represent Nigerian workers’ interests at a pivotal international labour conference,” the statement said. Upah further criticized the government’s actions, calling them an “unmistakable demonstration of the height of lawlessness” and “completely unjustified under the laws of our nation.”
The NLC maintained that Ajaero was detained without a legal warrant or any formal charges.
“Joe Ajaero is not a fugitive. His detention is a brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation,” the union asserted.
Efforts to contact Ajaero or determine his current whereabouts and state of health have been unsuccessful, raising concerns within the NLC.
The union called the government’s move an “affront to democratic and natural rights,” accusing it of using oppressive tactics to suppress opposition amid widespread public discontent over its economic policies.
The NLC also appealed to the international community and human rights organizations to take note of what they described as a rising wave of authoritarianism in Nigeria.
“The world must bear witness to these assaults on human dignity, civil liberties, and the rule of law,” the NLC urged.
In its closing remarks, the NLC reiterated its demand for Ajaero’s immediate and unconditional release, while urging the government to stop harassing labour leaders and citizens who hold dissenting opinions.
“Once again, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Joe Ajaero and the cessation of all forms of harassment against labour leaders and the Nigerian working class.”
The union disclosed that its organs are currently in a closed-door meeting, and the outcomes will be made public in due course.