The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday strongly condemned the arrest of human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, describing it as part of a troubling pattern of harassment and repression.
The NLC also urged Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, warning against further abuse of state power.
The Congress, in a statement issued on Thursday by its president, Joe Ajaero, condemned Sowore’s repeated arrests as deplorable, especially if reports of his injuries during the most recent event are accurate.
“If Sowore has offended any big man or woman in government or has in any way offended the law, they should be bold enough to explore the legal options available, such as going to court, but certainly not to resort to this level of harassment. How many times has Sowore been arrested this year alone”, the statement partly read.
Speaking further, Ajaero stated that freedom of speech and association are two of the inalienable rights granted by our constitution, and it is only fitting and proper that the government be seen to support these individuals’ rights.
The NLC warned that silence in the face of such violence constitutes complicity.
“If the state can arbitrarily detain Sowore today, then no journalist, trade unionist, activist, or regular citizen will be safe tomorrow. We cannot allow Nigeria to return to the dark days of tyranny, when fear replaced freedom and dissent was met with brute force.”
Ajaero added, “It soils the image of the government before its citizens and the international community when it behaves in a way that suggests that it is above the law.
“We are duty-bound to not only alert the nation to the inherent dangers of government observing these rights in breach but to point out the consequences of an observance in breach. Government, like all the other citizens, should be law-abiding, not when it suits it but unconditionally.
“Irrespective of what anyone may think, Sowore has become a moral compass we can ill-afford to treat with levity.
“Accordingly, we demand therefore, the immediate and unconditional release of Omoyele Sowore; an end to the harassment and intimidation of activists and all voices of dissent; full adherence to the rule of law and constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly.”
The NLC also said it stands in solidarity with all victims of repression and reaffirms its commitment to defending the rights of the working class and the oppressed.
“Nigeria should not descend into a police state. Strengthened justice and democracy is good for all,” the NLC concluded.
