How Security Operatives Invaded Labour House –NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given an account of how armed security operatives invaded Labour House, its headquarters located in Abuja.

It gave the details in a statement its Head, Media and Public Relations, Benson Upah ,while also

demanding international inquiry into the invasion.

Giving the account on how security operatives Invaded Labour House, the NLC stated:

“This evening (yesterday) at about 8.30pm 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 (NLC).

“The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts presumably from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and 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.

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“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 troop 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.

“Just this afternoon (yesterday) the National Executive Council, NEC, of the NLC took note and vehemently condemned the high handed manner that security agents manhandled protesters in many parts of the country and the needless bloodshed that ensued.

“We also condemned the sweeping mass arrests of those perceived to have led the protest. The NEC also frowned at the reckless use of ‘treason’ to describe the protest and demanded for moderation. What we did not see coming was the invasion of the Labour House by masked and heavily armed security operatives hours later.

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“In the light of the foregoing and the ominous sign it portends for democratic rights, freedom of speech and association and the unimpeachable right of citizens to protest peacefully on any issue they feel strongly about, we call on the international community to take note of the deterioration of democratic principles in the bid to turn Nigeria into a Police State”.

The story of how the Security Operatives Invaded Labour House was reported by Vanguard