Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice-President, has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s administration for the recent arrest of Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the raid on the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP office in Abuja, both carried out by the Department of State Services, DSS.
In a statement on his verified X account on Tuesday, Atiku criticized the oppressive control imposed by Tinubu’s administration, stating that it surpasses even the harshest days of military dictatorship.
He urged Tinubu and his security apparatus to focus their efforts on the actual perpetrators of violence.
Atiku wrote: “The escalating assault on civil society and the media by the Bola Tinubu administration are profoundly disturbing. The level of oppressive control now imposed surpasses even the harshest days of military dictatorship.
“The recent arrest of Mr. Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, en route to an official event, epitomizes this regime’s relentless campaign to intimidate and subdue organized labour.
“Just days prior, security forces detained a journalist, only to later claim it was a grievous error. What if the outcome had been fatal?
“Now, Tinubu’s regime extends its repressive grasp to encroach upon @SERAPNigeria, an action that stands as a grave affront to our democratic values. This siege is anathema to the principles of freedom and justice.
“It is imperative that Tinubu and his security apparatus redirect their fervour and intimidation towards the actual perpetrators of violence — terrorists and bandits — who are inflicting immeasurable suffering upon the Nigerian people. -AA”
