Ajaero’s Brutalisation: NLC Accuses Gov Uzodinma, Imo Police Boss Of ‘Attempted Murder’

• “Attack on Ajaero is an attack on Nigerian workers” – RULAAC warns

BY ONYEKACHUKWU IBEZIM – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma and the State Police Commissioner of orchestrating the arrest and brutalisation of its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Wednesday.

This is as a video went viral with Comrade Ajaero, having a black eye, saying that he was arrested and brutalised by some operatives of the Nigeria Police allegedly attached to Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo.

Condemning the attack on Ajaero as a heinous act of attempted murder, NLC’s Head of Information and Publicity, Comrade Benson Upah, described the ill-treatment meted out to the NLC President as an act of abduction that degenerated into attempted murder.

Upah, who said it was unfortunate that the Commissioner of Police led the assault on Comrade Ajaero and other Labour leaders, maintained that the Labour Movement would not lay back and watch those drawing salaries from taxpayers’ money continuously abuse their offices for selfish reasons.

He told reporters that; “The NLC President was abducted by Policemen armed to their teeth at the Imo state NLC Secretariat on Wednesday as we are about to commence our lawful protest against the violation of Trade Union rights of the workers.”

Also while giving an account of what transpired on the day, NLC’s Assistant General Secretary and Chief of Staff to the NLC President, Chris Onyeka said he was standing with Ajaero when he was brutalized and arrested.

According to him; “As workers were gathering to protest their maltreatment by the state government in Owerri, Imo State and the President of NLC was about to address the workers, the Police came amidst attacks by thugs to arrest Ajaero. Thugs first attacked and dragged Ajaero from the platform before Police came to arrest him along with another senior official of the NLC.”

Also alleging complicity of the Imo State Police Command in the attack, NLC’s General Secretary, Comrade Emma Ugbaja, said the State Commissioner of Police led the attack under the instructions of the State government, claiming that the government had mobilized “his thugs” as early as 6 am and took over the area, noting “when they (thugs) saw the (NLC) President, the CP led the thugs into the place.

“There were about five naval personnel on duty. The Police arrested and brutalized the President and took him to their Tiger base and nobody has sighted him.”

RULAAC Condemns Police Brutality, Attack On NLC President 

Reacting to the ugly development, a Civil Rights organization, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) in condemning the attack on Comrade Ajaero, said it was unfortunate that the officers behind the brutality have become tools in the hands of political actors.

RULAAC, which spoke through its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said; “I’m told that the chief security aide to Governor Hope Uzodinma known as Chinasa Nwaneri who commands the Ebubeagu ‘security outfit’, led police officers to arrest Joe Ajaeoro, the President of the Nigeria Labor Congress NLC, brutalized him, tore his clothes and have taken him to the dreaded Tiger Base which is the police unit that executes the terror agenda of the Uzodinma government in Imo State.

“If the police have credible reasons to arrest Ajaero, they did not need to deploy so much violence and attack on his human dignity. Police in Imo, under CP Ahmed Barde, have remained tools of political violence and oppression in the hands of the Hope Uzodinma ruthless government.”

Maintaining that an “Attack on Ajaero is an attack on Nigerian workers whom he represents”, Nwanguma further said; “Nigerian workers must rise to resist and challenge this daring attack on their rights and dignity”.