Hunger protest: Disquiet as security operatives raid NLC headquarters

There is a growing disquiet among critical stakeholders within the labour sector and members of the organised labour over the raid carried out on the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday night.

Security operatives suspected to be from the Department of State Services (DSS) at about 10pm on Wednesday raided NLC’s offices over allegations that the leadership of the organised labour sponsored the #EndBadGovernance protest.

Daily Trust reports that hundreds of Nigerians had on Thursday, August 1, 2024, hit the streets in some states and the FCT to protest against rising cost of living in the country.

However, the protest took a different dimension when some persons started calling for regime change, particularly in the Northern part of the country.

• What we lost during protest, traders, transporters
• Protest: Police arrest 51 for attacking security personnel, looting in Plateau

The Russian flag was flown in different parts of the country, forcing President Bola Tinubu to summon heads of security agencies to Aso Rock, where he ordered them to crack down on those threatening democracy in Nigeria.

Speaking to Daily Trust in interviews on Wednesday night, some labour leaders said everyone in the Labour House, located in the Central Business District of Abuja, had left for home when the operatives stormed the building.

One of the labour leaders said he spoke to one of the private security guards attached to the building on phone and confirmed that the masked operatives with assorted rifles stormed the building at about some minutes before 10pm.

He said the guard told him that the operatives went directly to the 10th floor where the office of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was located.

The official added that the guard told him that the operatives came back to the second floor where some offices belonging to NLC were located.

Checks by our correspondent on Thursday morning showed that security operatives were still laying siege to the Labour House.

 Security agents take away books, documents

Confirming the raid, spokesman of NLC, Comrade Benson Upah, wondered why operatives would storm the building at the time when everyone had left the office.

Upah, who described the raid as “illegality of highest order”, said that even during the military regime in the country offices of labour unions were never raided.

He said, “The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black T-shirts presumably from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th floor of the NLC and 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 troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGovernance protest.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns in its entirety this new law 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.

“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.

“In order to allay our fears, we demand an international inquiry into this very traumatic invasion.

“Finally, we demand the immediate withdrawal of the troops of invading security agents from the premises of the Labour House, Abuja.

“We also demand that all the books and materials carted away by the invading security operatives should be returned unfailingly to where they were taken from before the end of work tomorrow, 8th August, 2024.

“We make this demand given the illegality of the operation as there was no court order for the invasion, ransacking and looting of the publications.”

Despite raid, NLC demands Tinubu’s policy reversal

Meanwhile, despite the raid on its offices, the leadership of NLC issued a condemnation on the way the federal government is handling the #EndBadGovernance protest.

The congress, through its National Executive Council (NEC), also called for an immediate reversal of the policies that have plunged the nation into economic hardship.

Daily Trust reports that the NEC convened an emergency meeting early Wednesday to assess the impact of the policies on Nigerian workers and the broader population.

In a communiqué signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, issued on Thursday, the NEC expressed deep concern over the government’s response to the mass protest which began on August 1, 2024.

The communique reads in part: “The NEC is deeply troubled by the government’s high-handed and mismanaged response to the peaceful #EndBadGovernance protest.

“Instead of addressing the legitimate and fundamental grievances of the people, the government has resorted to violence.”

The NLC similarly criticised the government’s decision to implement policies based on advice from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which it described as “anti-poor”.

According to the communiqué, the labour union said it had previously warned that the policies would lead to severe hardship, but that its concerns were dismissed by the government.

It added, “The continuous trivialisation of treasonable felony by government operatives abuses and makes a mockery of it as a high crime against the state.

“The NEC-in-session urges the federal government to engage in meaningful dialogue with representatives of the protesters, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to resolve all the issues at stake to end the national carnage.

“This is to avoid NLC being compelled to direct its members to stay home for the safety of their lives.”

The NEC also expressed strong disapproval of the government’s interference in the affairs of the NLC, particularly the actions of the Minister of Labour and the Registrar of Trade Unions.”

They also called for the immediate withdrawal of “a politically motivated letter” sent to the NLC by the Registrar of Trade Unions.

DSS denies involvement, police mum

Reacting to Daily Trust’s enquiry, the Department of State Services said it did not have a hand in the raid. The spokesman of the secret police, Peter Afunanya, said they did not carry out the operation on the building.

He said, “Good morning dear friends. Please note that the service (DSS) did not carry out any operation at the NLC office in Abuja.”

When contacted, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said he would find out from the Commissioner of Police (CP) of the FCT and get back to Daily Trust.

Amnesty International, others berate FG

In his reaction, the Country Director of Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi, condemned the invasion of the headquarters of NLC.

Sanusi, in a statement on Thursday, described the raid as a “sinister and calculated attack” designed to intimidate the labour union.

He stated: “Amnesty International strongly condemns the brazen invasion of the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress by a contingent of armed security personnel.

“The chilling raid last night appears to be part of a sinister and calculated attack designed to intimidate the labour union. We are deeply concerned about the safety of NLC officials.

“Under international human rights law and standards, trade unions cannot be targeted for their participating activities.

“Under international human rights law, Nigeria has an obligation not only to respect the rights of trade unions but also to protect these rights from abuse.”

Labour mulls legal action against NPF

In the meantime, the congress said it won’t have a choice than to sue the Nigeria Police Force for the raid and violation of its fundamental rights if the documents carted away were not returned before the end of yesterday (Thursday).

A labour leader, who spoke to our correspondent anonymously, said the legal department of the congress would soon brief its counsel, Femi Falana (SAN).

He said that they would seek an order against further harassment of labour leaders, as well as members of staff of the NLC headquarters.

He further said, “We may consider legal options if the security operatives continue to intimidate us. We may also file a case against the police for that invasion.

“I call it an invasion because no search warrant, the search wasn’t done during the day but in the middle of the night.