Ajaero’s Arrest: International Community, Labour Unions On High Alert

Affiliated labour unions in Nigeria and the international community are on high alert following Joe Ajaero’s arrest by security men.

Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been having exchanges with security men, but was on his way to attending an event before he was arrested.

the fact that he was due to address a global event has already externalised his arrest, The Eagle intelligence has shown.

The NLC has described Ajaero’s arrest as an abduction and forceful whisking away without a warrant arrest.
The apex labour union has reacted by also putting its affiliate unions on high alert, a statement by its Head Media & Information, Benson Upah, has confirmed.

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Uquah who used “an unmistakable demonstration of the height of lawlessness” to describe Ajaero’s arrest, said it was being perpetuated by the Nigerian government and its agencies “in their bid to silence every voice of dissent and opposition in the country as the economic policies of the government continues to afflict the people with monumental suffering and hardship.”

The statement titled “COMRADE JOE AJAERO: PRESIDENT OF THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC) HAS BEEN DETAINED BY THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT” reads in part
“This morning, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, was seized and whisked away by agents of the Nigerian State while on his way to the United Kingdom on the invitation of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Britain.
‘We don’t know his whereabouts’

“Comrade Ajaero was set to attend and address the global gathering of workers on behalf of Nigerian workers at the Congress of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, in the UK, a platform where critical discussions on workers’ rights, social justice, and economic fairness are discussed.

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“We are yet to ascertain his whereabouts or his state of health as all efforts we have made to get in touch with him have proved abortive.

“We wish to categorically state that Comrade Ajaero has been detained without any legal warrant or formal instrument”.