Police Urge Labour Union to Allow Due Process in President’s Investigation
A tense standoff has emerged in Nigeria as the Delta Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to allow due process to prevail in the investigation of its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero. The police commissioner made the appeal during a solidarity protest held by the Delta chapter of NLC at the state police headquarters in Asaba.
Ajaero was recently invited by the police over allegations of involvement in terrorism, which he honoured in Abuja on Thursday. The police claimed the invitation was purely interactive to aid their investigation into the allegations. However, NLC has viewed the incident as an attack on the labour movement in Nigeria.
Abaniwonda urged the NLC not to pre-empt the process, stating that the police were simply carrying out their duty to investigate allegations. He commended the NLC in Delta for conducting the protest peacefully and urged them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
The police commissioner also clarified that no one had threatened Ajaero with arrest, and that the invitation was purely interactive. He assured Nigerians that the authorities would do justice to the case and that the Federal Government appreciated the contributions of labour to the growth of the nation.
In a separate address, NLC’s first Vice-Chairman in Delta, Comrade Ziko Okwudi, expressed disappointment over the current ordeal of their president. He stated that the union viewed the incident as an attack on the labour movement in Nigeria and urged the Federal Government to tread with caution over the allegation against their president.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the NLC will respond to the police’s appeal for due process. One thing is certain, however – the labour union will not allow the allegations against their president to go unchecked without a fight.
