NLC threatens nationwide strike if police arrest, detain Joe Ajaero

The Nigerian Labour Congress’s (NLC) National Executive Council has directed its affiliates to be on red alert as it is prepared to embark on a fresh strike across the country in response to any attempt to arrest or detain its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, by the Nigeria Police.

According to the communiqué obtained by Persecondnews on Tuesday following an immediate emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) to deliberate on the police’s request to invite the NLC President over allegations of financing of terrorism.

During the meeting, the NEC decided that the NLC would honour the invitation as a responsible labour centre committed to the rule of law and due process.

The NEC noted that Ajaero would accept the police’s invitation but emphasized the necessity for the union’s legal counsel to request additional time for Ajaero to be presented before the law enforcement authorities.

Comrade Ado Kabiru Sani, the Deputy President of the NLC, has urged the nation’s workforce to be ready for further instructions if the police’s actions do not meet the union’s expectations regarding Ajaero’s detention.

He said: “As a committed labour centre, we will honour the invitation of the police because we are not a faceless organization, but we are working with our lawyer for an extension of time.

“In the event that the President is arrested, all workers will down tools immediately. We should wait for further directives from our leadership.”

Persecondnews recalls that the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has been invited by the Nigeria Police for an “interview” over alleged criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, reasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.

Benson Upah, the Head of Information and Public Affairs at the NLC headquarters in Abuja, said in a statement on Monday that ACP Adamu Mu’azu, the Commissioner of Police in charge of Intelligence, signed the letter of invitation.

The letter stated that ongoing investigations into “criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, reasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime” included Ajaero’s name.