The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) refuted the police narrative of the raid on its Abuja headquarters on Wednesday on Saturday.
The Nigerian Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) Zonal Secretary and Vice Chairman was arrested in Kogi State on suspicion of funding the most recent nationwide protests. The union, which convened on Saturday over the police invasion, was incensed by this development as well.
In contrast to the police authorities’ assertion that their agents merely went to a bookshop in the same building as the NLC in order to make an arrest of a foreign national, the labour union alleged that during the raid, the invading police officers broke into its offices.
“The police say they are working on a national investigation involving multiple nations, however they arrived at our facility far after business hours based on their alleged intelligence.
“Why did their investigation lead them precisely to the 10th level, where the NLC President and General Secretary’s offices are located, if they were acting in good faith? Preliminary Times was informed over the phone by Emmanuel Ugboaja, the General Secretary of the NLC, that “this is nothing short of harassment under the guise of an investigation.”
He maintained that the police had searched the NLC offices on purpose, but he did not say if they had taken anything.
You claimed to be searching for a single individual, but you questioned the security guard whether they were at the Nigeria Labour Congress headquarters when you walked to the tenth level. What is the sound of that? “Does that sound like people who are lost or confused?” he asked.
Ugboaja called the police operation “shameful” and denounced it.
He said that in order to discuss the issue and decide on a line of action, the NLC leadership has called an emergency meeting for this coming Saturday.
But according to a report, labour leaders were notified before to the start of the NEC meeting that one of their colleagues had reportedly been hauled up by security personnel approximately a week ago for allegedly sponsoring the countrywide protest.
He was recognised as the Vice Chairman of the Kogi State Council of the NLC and the Zonal Secretary of NUEE.
The official had been detained for a week, according to a source from one of the unions, and he was denied contact to his family.
According to THISDAY, the NLC was eager for a confrontation with the federal government.