DSS arrests Joe Ajaero

Men of the Department of State Service (DSS) has arrested Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

The secret police arrested the Labour leader at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, where he had planned to board a plane to the United Kingdom.

The NLC has reacted to the arrest. “We wish to categorically state that Comrade Ajaero has been detained without any legal warrant or formal instrument,” Benson Ukpah, spokesperson for the union said.

He added, “Joe Ajaero is not a fugitive. His detention is therefore a brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation as he has not been declared wanted by any law enforcement body.

“The mere contemplation of not just stopping a lawful citizen from travelling but also sequestering his freedom is an affront to our democratic and natural rights as a people and as workers,” he added.

Following its leader’s arrest, the NLC said it is currently holding a meeting to decide its course of action. The police had questioned Ajaero on August 28 over his alleged involvement in treasonable acts.