Security agents, reportedly from the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, raided the Nigeria Labour Congress’ (NLC) national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday evening.
According to a statement by NLC spokesperson Mr. Benson Upah, late on Wednesday, the operatives arrested the security guards, forcing them to hand over keys to the offices on the second floor.
The security agents forcibly entered the premises, vandalized the bookshop, and made away with hundreds of books and publications.
The NLC denounced the raid, describing it as unlawful and an affront to democratic values.
It called for an international investigation into the incident and demanded that the stolen materials be returned.
The raid occurred mere hours after the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting, where members denounced the heavy-handed tactics used by security agents against protesters during the recent demonstrations.
The NLC has directed its staff to stay away from the office until further notice and warned that if the harassment continues, it may call on its members to stay at home until their safety and security are assured.
The statement read: “This evening, at about 8.30 pm, long after the close of work, a troop of heavily armed security operatives invaded the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja, which serves as the National Headquarters and secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts, presumably from the Department of State Services, and others on outright mufti, swooped on the 10th floor of the NLC, arrested the security operative on duty, and then commandeered him to the second floor, where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.
“When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor, carting away hundreds of books and other publications.
“The invading troops claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests.
The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns, in its entirety, this new low in security operations in Nigeria.
“The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night.
“Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy.”
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