Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has strongly condemned the arrest of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday morning.
Ajaero was detained at Abuja Airport while en route to London to attend the ongoing Trades Union Congress (TUC) Conference.
Falana, who also serves as Ajaero’s legal counsel, addressed the media following the arrest, emphasizing that the detention had no connection to an earlier invitation extended to Ajaero by the Nigeria Police Force.
“The invitation to Comrade Joe Ajaero by the police was rescheduled last week. I have contacted the police authorities. The arrest is not related to the police invitation,” Falana clarified.
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According to Falana, Ajaero was unexpectedly apprehended by DSS operatives at the airport, and no justification has been provided for the arrest.
“Comrade Ajaero was on his way to London to attend the ongoing TUC Conference when he was arrested at the airport this morning by the SSS. No reason has been provided for the arrest by the SSS,” Falana stated.
The NLC President had previously been summoned by the police over allegations that he posed a “threat to public peace.
” However, that invitation had been postponed, further raising questions about the sudden and unexplained arrest by the DSS.
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The incident has sparked concerns among labor groups and civil society organizations, who view the arrest as a potential infringement on Ajaero’s rights and a possible attempt to intimidate labor leadership in Nigeria.
The DSS has yet to issue an official statement regarding the arrest, leaving the public and the labor community in suspense.
