NLC threatens to picket police stations nationwide over arrest of labour leaders

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened to mobilise workers to picket the headquarters of the Nigeria police in Abuja as well as police stations across the country to protest what it described as “unlawful detention” of leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

NLC in a statement on Sunday by its president, Comrade Joe Ajearo said some national officers of the NURTW which is affiliated to the Congress were “unlawfully detained by the Police without any discernible reason”

Ajearo explained that the officers of the Union had voluntarily reported to the Police in response to an invitation by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

He accused the police of trying to meddle in the affairs of trade unions

He said, “Nigerians should recall that the NURTW has had their lawful activities restricted and shackled in Lagos state and other South West states of Oyo, Osun and Ondo despite the pronouncement of the Courts to the contrary. Having felt unchallenged thus invincible, the same forces that forcefully took over the Union in these states and renamed them in some as Lands and Parks seek to expand their reach nationwide. They seek to completely take over the leadership of the Union which they hope to use to seize the nation’s civic space, muzzle voices of opposition and undermine democratic practices and aspirations in Nigeria.

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“The NLC does not understand where the IGP derives the power to meddle in the affairs of trade unions when it is neither a Court of Law nor any other known arbiter in Industrial Disputes as stipulated in the Constitution of the federal republic. Our Laws are very clear on how industrial Disputes should be settled in Nigeria and we are sure that the IGP as the Chief Law enforcement officer is conversant with that process. We wonder why he has refused to submit himself to the supremacy of the Law, especially these time-honoured statutes and traditions.”

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The NLC president urged the police to hands-off from interference with trade unions issue and allow other relevant institutions that are also creatures of the Law to take charge of their responsibility.

He said further, “That is why the NLC calls on the IGP to deploy this energy to combat the insecurity challenges that confront Nigerians everyday everywhere around the nation instead of pursuing trade union matters that are not within his jurisdiction. We would not know why the burgeoning crime rate does not bother the Police neither does ridding our cities of crime infestations seem to be any worry to it rather than chasing trade union leaders for incarceration. It is important that he should focus more on his job than this interference.

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“If nothing is done to stop this, Nigerian workers may be forced to resume work daily in all Police Stations around the Country. We will demand the repayment of the cost incurred by the National Union of Road transport Workers (NURTW) as result of the actions of the IGP if we are forced to resume at the Police Headquarters and Posts around the Country”, he added.