Following Joe Ajaero’s arrest in Owerri, the capital of Imo state, Organized Labor has vowed to declare an emergency nationwide strike.
On Wednesday, highly armed cops picked up Ajaero, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, from the NLC State Council Secretariat and drove him to an undisclosed location.
A few days prior to Ajaero’s arrest, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the National Labor Congress (NLC) were barred by the National Industrial Court from conducting any sort of demonstration in the state of Imo.
Both the TUC and the NLC issued a joint statement, signed by Comrade Nuhu Toro of the TUC and Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja of the NLC, telling workers to prepare for immediate nationwide industrial action if Ajaero is not freed by Wednesday night.
“We call on Nigerian workers, wherever they may be; in the respective industrial Unions; the state Councils and the Branches to be on alert for an immediate nationwide action if, by the end of today, the President of the Congress is not released,” the statement read.
In order to prevent more injuries, property damage, and fatalities among the state’s innocent labour force, they pleaded with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Egbetokun, who is currently in Imo, to dispatch his officers.
News About Nigeria had earlier reported the arrest of Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress. He was arrested as the Labour Union protest got underway in Owerri.
However, the Nigerian police force has debunked claims that it arrested the union’s president, saying that it only took Mr Ajaero into ‘preventive custody’.
