NLC President, Joe Ajaero Arrested In Imo over planned protest

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has been arrested by security operatives in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

The labour leader was picked up from the NLC State Council Secretariat by heavily armed policemen from the state and taken to an unknown destination.

Benson Uper, Head of Media at the NLC Headquarters, stated this in a press release made available to Nation Update on Wednesday.

NLC is leading a statewide protest and strike in Owerri over what it described as lack of respect for workers, unpaid salaries and pensions, amongst others.

Report to our desk has it that the labour leader was arrested at the secretariat of the NLC in Imo while he was about to lead an ‘Occupy Imo’ protest slated for this Wednesday.

Sources have stated that the police claimed that Ajaero and the labour body have disobeyed an existing court order by the National Industrial Court restraining the NLC and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from carrying out any protest in the state.

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Imo, Henry Okoye, said he has no information on the arrest of the labour leader yet, saying that he will make the information available as soon as he gets a clearer the situation.

Meanwhile, the NLC leadership in Imo has dissociated itself from the protest with reasons that the allegations by the NLC national leadership against the state government were untrue.

In a statement on Wednesday, NLC and TUC national leaderships in Abuja accused the Imo State Government of intimidation against trade unions in the state.

It will be recalled that on October 30, 2023, the NLC had said it will ground activities in Imo State from Wednesday, November 1, 2023, to protest the alleged violation and abuse of rights and privileges of workers in the State.