The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has been granted administrative bail after being detained by the Department of State Services (DSS).
His release came just before the 12 a.m. deadline set by the NLC, which had demanded his immediate release.
The news was shared by pro-democracy activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who tweeted about the development.
Ajaero was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday morning while on his way to the United Kingdom to attend a Trade Union Congress conference in London.
Simultaneously, the DSS also raided the Abuja office of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), reportedly seeking to engage with its directors.
In reaction to Ajaero’s arrest, the NLC convened a closed-door meeting in Abuja, condemning the detention as illegal and an attack on workers’ rights.
The NLC’s National Administrative Council, represented by Deputy President Adeyanju Adewale, described the arrest as “an affront to democratic principles.”
The council called for Ajaero’s release and demanded the reversal of the recent petrol price hike to N617 per litre. They also put their affiliates and civil society allies on alert, threatening a nationwide strike if their demands were not met.
The NLC, in the statement, emphasized its commitment to defending workers’ rights and warned the government against continued oppression.
They called for the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage and urged the government to change its approach to governance.
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 offense 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 12 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 organize, 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.”
