Police vs NLC Leader Ajaero: What We Have Known So far
The Nigeria Police Force gave some indications of the impending battle with the leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero. The axe the two sides want to grind is not in any way connected to the agitation for a new minimum wage. That one has been settled and all sides have agreed on a certain amount of money.
When some security personnel invaded the building of the union in Abuja almost two weeks ago, the security agency made a failed attempt to douse tension saying that some criminals were chased into the building. While chasing the “fleeing” culprit, they took away several belongings of the union including books and files.
That was when the nationwide #EndBadGovernance was losing its momentum and the police as well as other security agencies can target the sponsors or supposed “enemy” of democracy as President Bola Tinubu put it in his address. The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress is now a target of the police.
On 19 August, the Intelligence Response Team, a department of the NPF wrote a letter to Joe Ajaero inviting him to the headquarters of the force in Abuja for questioning. In the letter, the police said that it was investigating a matter involving financing terrorism, criminal conspiracy, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrime.
The police didn’t stop at that, they asked the unionist to appear the following day, giving him less than 24 hours to get himself ready for the investigation/interview. In the last paragraph of the letter, the police threatened to activate a warrant of arrest if he failed to comply.
President Bola Tinubu’s Government has been cracking down on the supposed sponsors of the nationwide protests. A presidential aspirant Omoyele Sowore is now on the watchlist, some arrests had been made while the government had also arraigned more than 1,000 protesters in Kano and some other places.
Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has responded on behalf of his client, Joe Ajaero. The legal icon’s chamber wrote a letter to the Intelligence Response Team saying that the suspect, Ajaero wouldn’t be available for questioning until August 29 hitherto asking for 10 days to prepare himself.
The lawyer also added that Joe Ajaero would “details and nature of of the allegations…against him”.
There have been reactions from across the country. The NLC itself through its most powerful organ, the NEC has reacted by giving its full support to the leader, Ajaero. The National Executive Council met on 20 August to discuss the matter and a communique was released after the meeting. The NEC called for a thorough and unbiased investigation.
Being a tool of the unionists, the NEC said that it wouldn’t hesitate to embark on a nationwide demonstration and national strike if the intimidation continues. The Nigerian Electricity Workers are even ready to shut down the national grid, hence throwing the whole country into a total blackout.
According to a notice to members, the NUEE, consisting of workers in Transmission Company of Nigeria said: “That upon any arrest of the NLC President or any other Labour Leader, all workers are to down tools from 12 midnight of 21 August 2024”
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