Cmrd. Joe Ajaero, NLC president.
The police in Imo State on Wednesday in Owerri, the state capital whisked away Joe Ajaero, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president.
Benson Uper, media head of the NLC, confirmed the development, saying he was picked from the state council secretariat of the NLC by heavily armed police officers and driven to an unknown destination.
The development followed an ongoing protest by members of the union in the state.
The NLC had on October 20, promised to ground activities in Imo State from November 1, to protest the alleged violation and abuse of rights and privileges of state government workers.
The protest, it was gathered, was hijacked by miscreants, who smashed vehicles and inflicted wounds on labour members.
Ajaero’s arrest was reportedly effected as early as 8:00am Wednesday morning.
Sources said workers were gathered at the state secretariat of the NLC for the protest when suddenly some men with weapons stormed the Secretariat and attacked the workers and chased them away.
However, the workers re-assembled at the Secretariat again but this time led by the NLC president, Ajaero, and general secretary, Emma Ugboaja, to commence the protest.
The source said, just as Ajaero was about to address the gathering, a team of armed policemen came and took him away alongside some officials of the NLC.
Reports said several gunshots were fired to disperse the gathered workers.
Said Uper while confirming the development: “The NLC president was abducted by men suspected to be policemen armed to their teeth at the Imo state NLC secretariat on Wednesday as we were about to commence our lawful protest against the violation of trade union rights of the workers”.
While giving an account of the incident, NLC deputy general secretary and chief of staff to the NLC president, Chris Onyeka, slso said that he was standing with Ajaero when he was brutalised and arrested.
Said he: “As workers were gathering to protest their maltreatment by the state government in Owerri, Imo State, and the President of NLC was about to address the workers, the police came amidst attacks by thugs to arrest Ajaero.
“Thugs first attacked and dragged Ajaero from the platform before police came to arrest him along with another senior official of the NLC”.
