Nigeria Labour Congress Demands Release of President Joe Ajaero

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the immediate and unconditional release of its President, Mr. Joe Ajaero, who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday.

Ajaero was on his way to the UK to attend a meeting of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) when he was seized and whisked away by DSS operatives. The NLC described the arrest as a “brazen act of intimidation” and “completely unjustified under the laws of our nation.”

The NLC has put its affiliates, state councils, civil society allies, and patriotic Nigerians on high alert, vowing not to stand idly by while the rights of its leaders and members are trampled upon.

The congress is demanding Ajaero’s release and an end to harassment against labour leaders and the Nigerian working class. It is also calling for the release of all Nigerians detained for exercising their democratic rights to protest.

The NLC’s Head of Information, Mr. Benson Upah, said the congress is yet to ascertain Ajaero’s whereabouts or state of health, as all efforts to contact him have been unsuccessful.

He disclosed that the NLC is holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the situation, and the outcome will be made public soon.