Emmanuel Thomas I Thursday, Nov.01, 2023
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has released the photographs of its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero after he was brutalised and abducted by men sent by the Imo State Governor, Mr. Hope Uzodimma.
Although the photographs surfaced online, information about his whereabout and state of health is still sketchy.
An official who spoke to https://www.starconnectmedia.com from NLC headquarters in Abuja could not tell us if the NLC President has been released.
All he said is that nobody is available to answer our question for now either in Abuja or in Imo State where the NLC president was brutalised and abducted.
He directed our reporter to statements on NLC website online. The NLC had vowed to proceed on immediate strike if Comrade Joe Ajaero is not released by Wednesday, which is yesterday.
In a joint statement, signed by Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, General Secretary and Comrade Nuhu Toro, Secretary General, TUC narrated how thugs and policemen led by Special Assistant to the governor on Special Duties, Chinasa Nwaneri abducted the NLC President and whisked him to unknown destination.
Labour narrates what happened:
“Earlier in the morning, Police men had tried to disperse workers who were gathering at the state NLC secretariat without success. This was followed in the usual manner by thugs who were stationed very close to the Secretariat in several Hilux and Toyota trucks.
“These thugs were later to unleash mayhem on the few workers who had already gathered smashing car windscreens, delivering matchet cuts on some, stabbing many, and inflicting all manners of injuries on the workers. GSM handsets were snatched, Laptops taken away and Monies were forcefully taken away by the hoodlums.
“As if that damage was not enough, the President of the NLC; comrade Joe Ajaero arrived the venue accompanied by few individual workers to inspect the carnage and to provide the necessary leadership for the trade union action to continue only to be met by Police men of the Imo state Police Command who came in their numbers and in several trucks.
‘The Police in the usual manner accompanied by thugs led by the Special Assistant to the Governor of Imo state on Special Duties: Mr. Chinasa Nwaneri leading others like Tapey and Madoka descended on the President of the Congress after overpowering the few workers who were left after the initial battering, inflicted heavy injuries and big blows to his head and body and kicking him in the process while dragging him on the ground while the Police supervised the mayhem.
‘They eventually bundled the President into their waiting van and whisked him away to an unknown destination where he is still being held incommunicado as we write.
‘This latest action of the State Government and the Police further demonstrates our earlier cries to Nigerians on the level of violence and impunity going on in Imo State. If the President of the Congress can be abducted in broad daylight and taken to an unknown destination by the Police and the State Governor, imagine what they have been doing to workers and trade union leaders in the state!
‘This is mind boggling and unacceptable in sane societies. The use of violence against innocent citizens especially against trade union leaders by the State has unfortunately become the norm. It is a new normal that may cause our nation dearly if people are allowed to get away with such violence and bloodletting.
‘All we have been asking the Governor is to honour agreements signed between us and to respect the rights of workers in the state. Workers deserve their wage and if you are in the habit of owing workers, you make their lives unstable and strip them of their humanity. These are some of the things we have asked Hope to do but to which he has refused to heed instead, he believes in the use of intimidation and violence against the workers and the people’, the joint statement said.
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. We cannot be at work while our President is in the gulag and we cannot be at peace when the Government of Imo state continues to disrespect workers and treat them with utter disdain.
