Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was apprehended in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
He was taken into custody by heavily armed police officers at the NLC State Council Secretariat in Owerri and transported to an undisclosed location. This information was relayed by Benson Uper, the Head of Media at the NLC Headquarters.
Ajaero’s arrest occurred as the NLC was leading a protest and strike in Owerri, citing issues such as a lack of respect for workers, unpaid salaries, and pensions, among other grievances.
According to a source, he was detained at the NLC’s Imo secretariat just before he was about to lead an ‘Occupy Imo’ protest scheduled for that day.
The source explained that the police arrested Ajaero because he had allegedly violated a court order from the National Industrial Court, which had prohibited the NLC and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) from conducting any protests in the state.
When contacted, Henry Okoye, the police spokesperson in Imo, claimed to have no information about the labor leader’s arrest and promised to provide more details as soon as he had a clearer understanding of the situation.
Meanwhile, the NLC leadership in Imo distanced itself from the protest, asserting that the allegations made by the NLC national leadership against the state government were unfounded. In a statement released on Wednesday, the NLC and TUC national leaderships in Abuja accused the Imo State Government of intimidating trade unions in the state.
