The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed that it raided the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) complex in Abuja last Wednesday in a bid to gather evidence against an international “subversive” element posing a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, Force spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi revealed that the operation on August 7, 2024, targeted the second floor of the NLC complex, where a suspect linked to the labour union was reportedly housed.
News About Nigeria reports that Adejobi clarified that the raid did not involve the 10th floor, which houses the NLC headquarters, but specifically focused on an office used by the suspect on the second floor.
“We recovered evidence to prove that the suspect is a threat to the nation. The man is a suspected subversive element,” Adejobi stated.
The NLC had earlier reported that heavily armed security personnel stormed its headquarters around 8:30 pm, confiscating documents.
The raid sparked condemnation from both local and international rights groups, including Amnesty International.
Adejobi, however, clarified that the police operation was unrelated to the recent #EndBadGovernance protests and that the NLC was not the target of the investigation.
Instead, the raid was part of a broader forensic investigation into the suspect, who has been linked to a syndicate whose members have already been arrested.
According to Adejobi, the suspect is believed to hold multiple foreign identities, including those of a Russian and a Briton, and is frequently out of the country.
“The NLC is not the suspect here. We had a target, and whatever it takes, we must get him at all means,” he said.
The police accused the suspect of subversion and of plotting to “run down the country.” Adejobi added, “We have uncovered plans that people want to destroy our democracy, destroy our common heritage called Nigeria, and we cannot keep quiet… We are getting enough help and we will get this man.”
Adejobi concluded by stating that the raid was not an attempt to apprehend the suspect but to recover crucial incriminating evidence, which the police have successfully obtained.
