The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded the withdrawal of security personnel from its national headquarters in Abuja. This is coming after the Labour House, which serves as the national headquarters of the NLC, was invaded on the night of Wednesday, August 7, by armed security operatives after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.
This demand is contained in a press statement signed by the union’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Comrade Benson Upah.
The press statement reads in detail:
“This evening, at about 8.30 pm, long after the close of work, a troop of heavily armed security operatives invaded the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja, which serves as the National Headquarters and Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts, presumably from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti, swooped on the 10th floor of the NLC, arrested the security operative on duty, and then commandeered him to the second floor, where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices. When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the 10th floor and ransacked the bookshop on the second floor, carting away hundreds of books and other publications. The invading troops claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests.
The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns, in its entirety, this new low in security operations in Nigeria. The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night. Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy.
Just this afternoon, the National Executive Council of the NLC took note and vehemently condemned the high-handed manner in which security agents manhandled protesters in many parts of the country and the needless bloodshed that ensued. We also condemned the sweeping mass arrests of those perceived to have led the protest. The NEC also frowned at the reckless use of ‘treason’ to describe the protest and demanded moderation. What we did not see coming was the invasion of the Labour House by masked and heavily armed security operatives hours later.
In light of the foregoing and the ominous sign it portends for democratic rights, freedom of speech and association, and the unimpeachable right of citizens to protest peacefully on any issue they feel strongly about, we call on the international community to take note of the deterioration of democratic principles in the bid to turn Nigeria into a police state. Given the experience of the leadership of the NLC in recent times at the receiving end of the naked brute force of the state, especially the near daylight assassination of the NLC President by security operatives and thugs, our fears of a Nigerian state that is descending into enforced brutality are well founded. We fear that the situation might deteriorate.
Given the state of things, the Nigeria Labour Congress has directed all its staff to stay away from the Labour House for now until we are certain that there are no incriminating materials or harmful substances dropped in our offices by the invading operatives. To allay our fears, we demand an international inquiry into this very traumatic invasion.”
The NLC demanded the immediate withdrawal of the troops of invading security agents from the premises of the Labour House, Abuja. They also requested that all the books and materials carted away by the invading security operatives be returned unfailingly to where they were taken from before the end of work on August 8, 2024.
The statement further reads:
“If this harassment continues, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not hesitate to call on its members to stay home until their safety and security are assured. We warn that the asphyxiation of the public space and channels for constructive engagement, dialogue, and negotiations in light of the excruciating difficulties that Nigerians are going through right now would only make matters worse. A stitch in time might still save nine.”
While the Nigeria Police Force is yet to speak on the matter, the Department of State Security (DSS), in a post made on its official X handle, has distanced itself from the raiding of the NLC office.
“Please kindly note that the Service (DSS) did not carry out any operation at the NLC office in Abuja,” it posted.
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