Labour Demands Arrest of Ajaero’s Attackers, Explains Airport Blockade

THE Organised Labour on Thursday called on President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police to act fast and ensure that those behind the brutalization of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, President, Comrade Joe Ajaero are brought to book.

The Organised Labour also said that the action it took by blocking the road to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to stop flights going to Imo state was one among other actions to be taken over the dastardly act perpetuated by the Imo State government and its agents.

Speaking at the protest rally at the airport, the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Festus Osifo, warned that the Nigeria government should act swiftly to ensure that the uprising in the Middle East where an individual was brutalized in Tunisia does not happen in Nigeria.

According to him, “An injury to one is an injury to all. Somebody asked me why we were at the Abuja airport, if it was a national issue, that the issue was in Imo state and we said no, the person that was brutalized is a national figure.

“Our president is a national figure and the Police that brutalized him is a national institution, they are not Imo State Police. The Police who brutalized him report to the Inspector General of Police, who in turn reports to the President of Nigeria.

“So since this is a national issue we must make it one. Governor Hope Uzodinma cannot unleash thugs with the Nigerian Police in Imo state on someone who has been peacefully fighting for the interest of the Nigerian workers.

“For us, we say no, no, What is happening is just the first stage of the series of activities that will happen, except the Nigerian government do the needful and arrest those people who perpetrated the evil act on the NLC president and Nigerian workers.

“This is not acceptable and this must not be allowed by the Nigerian workers. Comrades let us be strong and this is a marathon. It is not a dash race, we are just starting until the government does the needful, the Area Commander who perpetuated this led those armed men who called themselves members of the Imo State Police to order.

“They must be prosecuted and they must be brought to book. It is not just to transfer the Commissioner of Police in Imo state, there are series of actions that must be taken by the Nigerian government because an injury to one is an injuring all.”

Osifo further said that “injustice is the same everywhere whether it happened in Imo state or any state in Nigeria, once you do this to any Nigerian workers we have the right to fight for the right of the particular person across the nation.”

Osifo said that “the uprising that happened sometime in the Middle East was caused by one individual who was brutalized in Tunisia and it caused an uprising in the entire Middle East. The Nigerian president must act, the IGP must act and the time to act is now”

Also speaking, Chris Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary of NLC, said that the action of the Organised Labour was geared towards liberating workers in Imo State who have been subjected to inhuman treatment by Governor Hope Uzodimma.

He said, “We have blocked the airport to ground activities, to make sure that no flight takes off, neither any flight comes in to eventually force the government to do something about what happened in Imo state on November 1 and the serial abuse and violation of the rights of workers in Imo state. We call it operation liberty for Imo state workers.

“As far as we are concerned flight from Imo state airport goes to Abuja and Lagos. Once we can hold the two places, you have incarcerated the Owerri airport. So no flight will go in there today, and neither will any go in until they lose into us. If flights don’t go in, they won’t come out.”