The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, appeared before the Nigeria Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Abuja on Thursday.
This appearance followed a summons issued on August 19, 2024, over allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.
Ajaero, accompanied by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, and a coalition of lawyers, arrived at the IRT command at Guzape at 10:20 a.m. The session lasted less than two hours, after which Ajaero and his legal team departed.
According to an anonymous lawyer from the team, the interaction was described as "very friendly," with the police seeking to determine if Ajaero had any knowledge of an individual under investigation, who was one of the EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters and a former tenant of Labour House.
The lawyer emphasized that Ajaero had no involvement with the arrest or the individual in question, stating, "Ajaero has no business with the arrest of anybody. We told them that the Labour House is on the 10th floor and the person they arrested is on the second floor."
The legal team also criticized the police for summoning Ajaero instead of simply calling him, suggesting that the formal invitation made the situation appear more serious than it was.
The NLC leadership framed the police actions as part of a broader campaign to undermine the union’s influence and silence its advocacy for democratic principles and workers’ rights in Nigeria.
Amnesty International Nigeria and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) condemned the federal government’s actions, viewing them as attempts to intimidate the NLC through baseless allegations.
Despite the tension, the NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, reiterated the union’s commitment to non-violent advocacy, stating, "Throughout the NLC’s history, we have never engaged in violent protests. We are workers, not troublemakers, and we will not start now."
The union's treasurer, Ambali Olatunji, underlined their resolve, declaring, "We will not be intimidated. Our resolve is firm, and we will protect the rights of Nigerian workers."
The police invitation, signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Adamu Mu’azu, warned that failure to comply could result in an arrest warrant being issued. However, Ajaero sought a postponement of the meeting, citing short notice, and assured the police of his availability on the rescheduled date.
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