The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has officially verified that its central office in Abuja was infiltrated by security officials, purportedly from the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force during the night of Wednesday.
As per a statement made by NLC representative Benson Upah, in the latter part of Wednesday, the officials apprehended the security personnel, compelling them to surrender the keys to the premises situated on the second level.
Subsequently, the operatives forcibly entered the floor, conducted a thorough search of the bookshop, and unlawfully appropriated numerous books and publications.
The NLC expressed strong disapproval of the incursion, asserting that it was unlawful and a transgression of democratic values.
The organization insisted on an international investigation into the occurrence and the restitution of the pilfered materials.
The incursion transpired shortly after the NLC’s National Executive Council assembly, during which participants censured the oppressive approach adopted by security personnel towards demonstrators throughout the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The NLC has instructed its workforce to refrain from reporting to the premises until further communication and cautioned that if the intimidation persists, it might advise its affiliates to remain at home until their well-being and protection are guaranteed.
The statement read “This evening at about 8.30 pm long after the close of work, a troop of heavily armed security operatives invaded the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja which serves as the National Headquarters and secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts presumably from the Department of State Services and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.
“When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor carting away hundreds of books and other publications. The invading troops claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns in its entirety this new low in security operations in Nigeria. The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night. Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy.”
