The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has been granted administrative bail by the Department of State Services.
He was released just a few minutes before the organised labour’s 12 a.m. deadline.
Omoyele Sowore, a pro-democracy activist and presidential candidate for the African Action Congress, announced his release via Twitter on Monday night.
“BREAKING: The fascist regime of @officialABAT has released the @NLCHeadquarters President Joe Ajaero from @OfficialDSSNG custody on bail,” he wrote on X.
The Peoples Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, and Social Democratic Party all criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration on Monday in response to the arrest of Nigeria Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero and the Department of State Services raid on the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project’s Abuja office.
Ajaero was arrested on Monday morning at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while on his way to the United Kingdom for an official job.
The NLC president was scheduled to attend the Trade Union Congress conference in London, which starts today.
The DSS also raided SERAP’s Abuja office.
Following its president’s detention, the NLC convened a closed-door meeting with stakeholders in Abuja on Monday, demanding Ajaero’s immediate release and urging all chapters to prepare for a possible statewide strike.
Adeyanju Adewale, the NLC’s deputy president, issued a statement following the meeting describing the detention as “brazen and illegal” and an “affront to the rights of workers and democratic principles.”
The council sought Ajaero’s release by Monday at midnight, as well as the reversal of the recent increase in petrol prices to N617/litre.
The NLC announced that it had put its affiliates, state councils, and civil society supporters on red alert, warning that it would not stand by while workers’ rights were violated.
The Congress reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding workers’ rights and combating tyranny, urging the administration to stop its “dangerous trend” and implement the new National Minimum Wage.
The communiqué read, “The National Administrative Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress convened an emergency meeting today to address the alarming and unlawful arrest and detention of Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC, by agents of the Nigerian Government.
“Comrade Ajaero was arrested and detained at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while en route to the United Kingdom, where he was scheduled to attend and address the Congress of the Trade Union Congress of Britain, representing Nigerian workers in critical discussions on workers’ rights and social justice.
“After extensive deliberation, the NAC resolved as follows: The Council unequivocally condemns the brazen and illegal detention of Comrade Joe Ajaero by the Nigerian state without any legal warrant or justification. The NLC notes with grave concern that Comrade Ajaero was lawfully discharging his duties to represent Nigerian workers and had not committed any offence warranting such action.
“His detention is an affront to the rights of workers and the democratic principles of freedom of movement and expression.
“The NLC demands the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Joe Ajaero before midnight today. The Council reiterates that Joe Ajaero is not a fugitive or a criminal, and his detention is an act of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent and stifling the labour movement’s voice in Nigeria. NAC also demands the immediate reversal of the current hike in the price of petrol to N617/litre.
“The Congress places all its affiliates, state councils, civil society allies, and the Nigerian populace on red alert. The detention of Comrade Ajaero is an attack not just on the NLC leadership but on the rights of all workers and citizens to organise, protest, and express themselves freely.
“The NLC will not stand by while these rights are trampled upon. This provocation is another attempt by the state to scuttle the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage.”
