The United Action Front of Civil Society, UAFCS, has vehemently condemned the arrest of Nigeria Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero, by the Department of State Services, DSS, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Ajaero was detained by DSS operatives while en route to the Trade Union Congress conference in the United Kingdom, in what the group described as a “Gestapo-like” operation.
The civil society organization labelled the arrest a “gratuitous display of force” intended to incite national unrest.
They criticized the treatment of Ajaero, a prominent leader, as a breach of standard decorum and accused the authorities of employing “dehumanizing tactics.”
Hamisu Santuraki, Head of Secretariat, issued a statement demanding Ajaero’s immediate release, warning that his continued detention might provoke widespread resistance and civil disobedience.
The group also plans to initiate national discussions on countering the perceived rise of a “police state” in Nigeria.
The statement reads:
“The DSS has disregarded established civil and conventional practices in handling security matters involving prominent individuals like the NLC President. Rather than extending an invitation, they opted for a forceful and demeaning abduction, which is both embarrassing and intimidating.
“Comrade Joe Ajaero, a key leader in the Labour movement and a respected figure among Nigerians, deserves respectful treatment. Security issues involving such individuals should follow due process, not the Gestapo-like tactics witnessed today, which risk causing national turmoil.
“As advocates for civil society and democracy, we strongly condemn the DSS’s actions against Ajaero, which have already caused widespread outrage and could lead to mass resistance if he is not promptly released.”
Ajaero’s arrest has sparked widespread condemnation, with many viewing the DSS’s actions as a blatant attempt to suppress dissent.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had on Monday confirmed that its President, Joe Ajaero, was detained by Department of State Services (DSS) operatives.
In a brief statement posted on its official X account, the NLC criticized the arrest as an attack on Nigerian workers by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The statement read:
“The assault on Nigerian workers continues. Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the NLC, was arrested and abducted by DSS personnel at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, this morning as he was en route to an official TUC engagement in the United Kingdom. He is currently being held at the office of the NSA.”
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