Yesterday, the invasion of the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by security operatives late Wednesday night elicited angry reactions. Although operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) were said to have carried out the attack, the secret police quickly denied their involvement yesterday. It is recalled that a combined team of security operatives raided the NLC offices at around 10 pm, which sources described as being connected to the recent nationwide protests against hardship in the country.
The DSS in a statement yesterday, has dissociated itself from the attack. DSS in its statement said, “The Service (DSS) did not carry out any operation at the NLC office in Abuja,” a spokesperson of the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, stated in a concisely. Those who responded included former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, his counterpart in the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, Amnesty International, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Lawyers, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
In its immediate response to the raid, the NLC sought an international inquiry into the invasion, describing the development as dangerous to the nation’s democracy. Efforts to obtain reactions from both the Presidency and the Information Minister were unsuccessful last night.
The Head of Media and Public Relations for the Labour Congress Benson Upah, stated that all employees had been directed to stay away from the office. He expressed the organization’s shock at the invasion, noting that all staff of the Congress had stayed away as per the leadership’s instructions. Upah conveyed the inability to comprehend the reason for the invasion.
Furthermore, Upah shared that since the previous night, the Labour movement had been receiving calls from affiliates around the world expressing their disbelief and outrage over the incident. He stated that such an occurrence had not even taken place under military dictatorship. Upah acknowledged the Department of State Services (DSS) denial of involvement and questioned the identity of those responsible, along with the uniformed police officers who carried out the invasion and ransacking of the Labour House. Upah concluded by describing the situation as a dangerous time in Nigeria, where everyone feels threatened.
In response, former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, condemned the invasion. Atiku, speaking through his Media Adviser, stated
“The practice of such raids without a valid court order and in the wee hours of the day reflects the current administration’s desire to hold on to the vestiges of military dictatorship which the NLC, civil society, and the media fought so hard to end and birth the democratic rule we enjoy today.
“Events of the last couple of weeks have shown this administration’s growing obsession with militarization of our polity.
“They are trying to suppress civil liberties and silence the media. Just the other day, they had protesters shot at and some killed for daring to protest the hardships this administration’s policies have unleashed on the people.
“This administration must be told in clear terms that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria and those who do not share the same views with government must be allowed to air their views.”
In the same vein, Peter Obi speaking through his Media Aide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, noted that raiding the office of the Labour Union, especially at an unholy hour, was not the best thing to do.
He said, “The NLC as an organization, fights for the rights of the majority of Nigerian workers and their officials are accessible.
“If any of our security agencies desire to see them, the proper thing to do is to invite them and I know they are law-abiding; they will honour such invitations.
“Invading their offices, especially after office hours, is an attempt to intimidate them. This has no place in a democracy.”
