The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, found himself in a distressing situation on Wednesday when he was arrested by the operatives of the Nigerian Police Force in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
Ajaero’s apprehension took place at the NLC State Council Secretariat in Owerri. He was taken into custody by heavily armed police officers and transported to an undisclosed location.
The confirmation of Ajaero’s arrest came via a message from Benson Uper, the Head of Media at the NLC Headquarters, sent through WhatsApp. Uper specified that the arrest took place at the NLC’s secretariat in Imo State.
Sources revealed that Ajaero was arrested while preparing to lead an ‘Occupy Imo’ protest scheduled for the same day. The police’s grounds for his arrest were his alleged violation of an existing court order from the National Industrial Court, which explicitly prohibited the NLC and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from conducting any protests in the state.
As of now, no official statement has been released by the Imo State police command. However, an inside source indicated that Ajaero is currently held in protective custody.
The source further explained that a confrontation had arisen between NLC members from Abuja and local workers in Imo who were evidently discontented with the actions of the NLC President. To prevent any potential harm, the police took the precautionary measure of placing Ajaero in protective custody.
