A union member from the maritime sector has beenfeared dead as heavily armed security operatives arrest the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero during the ongoing protest in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
Nigeriacrime.com learned that the miscreants descended on protesters, smashing vehicles, inflicting injuries and dispossessing handsets from labour members who had gathered at the NLC State secretariat.
Already, the whereabouts of the NLC President are unknown as heavily armed security personnel took him away.
The NLC President alongside other members of the Central Working Committee, CWC, were at the State Secretariat in Owerri to begin the planned strike action against what they called the government’s insensitivity to the plight of workers in the State.
At the protest rally led by the national leadership of the labour movement against alleged maltreatment of workers in the state, as early as 8 am, workers started gathering at the state Secretariat of the NLC for the protest but suddenly some men with harmful weapons stormed the Secretariat and attacked the workers and chased them away.
It was a rowdy sight as union leaders and Journalists scampered for safety.
However, the workers reassembled at the Secretariat but this time led by the NLC president and General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja to commence the protest.
A report had it that just as Ajaero was about to address the gathering, a team of armed Policemen and hooded men in truck load stormed the venue arrested him alongside some officials of NLC and took them away.
There were several gunshots fired to disperse the workers. Also, a union member from the maritime was feared dead while the TVC cameraman was arrested and his camera smashed.
Already the TVC reporter, who also sustained injury, has gone into hiding for fear of further attacks.
Confirming the report the Head of Information and Publicity at the NLC, Benson Upah said that Ajaero was arrested by the Police.
He said: “The NLC President was abducted by men suspected to be Policemen armed to their teeth at the Imo state NLC secretariat on Wednesday as we are about to commence our lawful protest against the violation of trade union rights of the workers.”
Also while giving an account of the incident, NLC Deputy General Secretary and Chief of Staff to the NLC president, Chris Onyeka said that he was standing with Ajaero when he was brutalized and arrested.
“As workers were gathering to protest their maltreatment by the state government in Owerri, Imo state and the President of NLC was about to address the workers, the Police came amidst attacks by thugs to arrest Ajaero.
“Thugs first attacked and dragged Ajaero from the platform before Police came to arrest them along with another senior official of the NLC,” he said.