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The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, was released late Monday night after being detained by the Department of State Services (DSS). His arrest had sparked widespread outrage across the country.
According to a labour congress leader, Ajaero was released at approximately 11:10 PM on Monday.
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Ajaero was detained at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja as he was about to board a flight to London for a conference hosted by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of the United Kingdom, which started the same day. His arrest occurred just as the DSS also reportedly raided the Abuja office of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) after the group demanded the government reverse the recent increase in petrol prices.
SERAP has since called on President Bola Tinubu to order the DSS to halt its actions.
The Labour Congress’ Head of Information, Benson Upah, confirmed Ajaero’s arrest but stated that the union was initially unaware of his whereabouts, only learning later that it was the DSS who had detained him.
Reports suggest that Ajaero was moved to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) after his arrest, which occurred just 11 days after he had honored a previous police invitation on August 29 and was subsequently released the same day.
The police had re-invited Ajaero on August 28 as part of an investigation into allegations of criminal intimidation, conduct likely to breach public peace, and malicious damage to property. He was scheduled to appear for an interview with the Deputy Inspector General of Police on September 5, 2024.
Despite this ongoing police matter, Ajaero’s lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, clarified that his client’s arrest by the DSS was unrelated to the earlier police invitation. Falana noted that the DSS had not provided any reasons for Ajaero’s arrest.
The NLC dismissed claims that Ajaero was arrested for failing to honor an invitation from the DSS, describing such reports as baseless.
Meanwhile, Air Peace Airlines, which had filed a petition against Ajaero in 2023 following a dispute, clarified that the petition had been withdrawn long ago, and there was no ongoing conflict between the airline and the NLC. The airline expressed surprise at Ajaero’s arrest, emphasizing that the current relationship between Air Peace and the NLC was amicable.
The arrest of the NLC leader was met with strong condemnation from various organizations and groups, including the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Amnesty International, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the United Action Front of Civil Society (UAFCS), and the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA).
Following an emergency meeting, the NLC’s National Administrative Council (NAC) issued a statement condemning Ajaero’s detention as unlawful and an attack on the rights of workers and democratic principles such as freedom of movement and expression. The labour congress demanded Ajaero’s immediate and unconditional release by midnight and called for the reversal of the current petrol price hike.
The labour congress also placed all its affiliates, state councils, civil society allies, and the Nigerian public on high alert, warning that Ajaero’s detention was an attack not just on labor leadership but on the rights of all workers and citizens to organize, protest, and express themselves freely. The labour congress vowed not to tolerate such rights violations and summoned an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) to discuss the next steps.
The NUEE also demanded Ajaero’s immediate release and put workers in the power sector on high alert for further directives. The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) echoed these demands, threatening to take further action if Ajaero was not released.
The TUC condemned the DSS’s actions, describing Ajaero’s arrest as unjust and a violation of democratic norms. They called for the government to respect the rule of law and prioritize dialogue over harassment.
The UAFCS warned that Ajaero’s arrest could lead to mass resistance and civil disobedience if he was not released immediately. They criticized the DSS’s actions as a needless show of force and urged the government to avoid actions that could provoke national chaos.
The PDP also criticized the government’s actions, warning that indiscriminate arrests of labor leaders and activists could destabilize the country. They urged President Tinubu to focus on addressing the nation’s pressing issues, such as rising inflation and insecurity, instead of targeting labor leaders.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemned the frequent harassment and arrest of key human rights and labor figures by security forces and called for an end to such actions.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) expressed concern over the shrinking civic space in Nigeria and urged the government to be transparent about any credible evidence against the labour president.
ActionAid Nigeria’s Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, warned that the country was reverting to military-era tactics of suppressing citizens’ rights. He urged the government to allow citizens to express themselves freely and to avoid actions that could escalate tensions.
Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju described the situation as a reign of terror under President Tinubu and called on the nation to rise against such tyranny to defend its democracy.
SERAP, whose office was raided by the DSS, urged President Tinubu to end the harassment and intimidation of civil society groups. They condemned the invasion of their office as an attack on the entire human rights community in Nigeria and warned that it could lead to a culture of impunity for human rights abuses. SERAP vowed to take legal action if the government did not halt its crackdown on civil society.
Human rights lawyer Mr. Femi Falana and Amnesty International also condemned the invasion of SERAP’s office, calling for those responsible to be held accountable and warning that such actions violated constitutional and international human rights obligations. They urged the government to allow human rights defenders to carry out their work freely.
Amnesty International further criticized the Nigerian government for escalating its repression of dissenting voices and called on the international community to press the authorities to respect the rights of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society groups.
