Rights Organisation, Amnesty International, has warned that it is illegal to arrest Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress.
News About Nigeria had earlier reported that the Labour Union leader was arrested on Wednesday, shortly after the commencement of the NLC protest in Imo State.
The Labour Union had on Tuesday announced plans to cripple transport activities in the state to press its demand to the Imo state government.
Condemning the labour leader’s arrest in a tweet via its official Twitter handle, the rights organisation argued that the arrest was unlawful, adding that it signalled the authorities’ intolerance for freedom of association.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the arrest of President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero by the police @PoliceNG in Owerri Imo State. The arrest is unlawful and shows Nigerian authorities’ utter disdain for freedom of assembly and association,” the statement by Amnesty International Partly read.
The right group argued that workers have the right to protest over alleged unpaid salaries and pensions, violation and abuse of their rights and privileges by the Imo state government, warning that “the arrest of Mr Joe Ajaero undermines workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively and take industrial action.”
His arrests came barely hours after the Imo State government advised the NLC’s national leadership not to stir the fires of discord between it and state workers.
Joe Ajaero alleged that workers who gathered peacefully to conduct the state delegates’ conference of the NLC were attacked by sponsored thugs in conjunction with security agencies.
