Ajaero vows to fight on, says police invitation mere distraction to labour struggles
• ‘I was only asked about tenant in NLC building, not terror financing’
• Ajaero promises to pursue implementation of minimum wage
• Court strikes out suit against #EndBadGovernance protesters
After the hue and cry over allegations of terrorism financing, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, yesterday honoured police invitation for questioning and submitted himself to interrogation by police investigators. Ajaero left the Labour House to honour the invitation at about 9:00 a.m. and returned at about 11:30a.m.
But upon his release and return to the Labour House, headquarters of the labour movement, Ajaero said the invitation by the Nigeria Police Force over allegations of terrorism financing was only a distraction to labour struggles, insisting that the welfare of Nigerian workers was the major focus at hand following the hardship in the country.
Police had invited Ajaero last week for an “interview on charges connected to alleged criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrime but the NLC president applied for a shift of the date to yesterday.
Addressing workers who had kept vigil at the Labour House since early morning, Ajaero said he was drilled by the police investigation concerning a foreigner who rented an office at the NLC headquarters in Abuja.
Ajaero was accompanied to the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) office at Guzape in Abuja yesterday, by his lawyer, Femi Falana and another human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, the NLC leadership, presidents of affiliate unions, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and leaders of civil society organisations.
He said the police invitation was part of the challenges that come with labour leadership. “You can’t do this job we do without expecting this. Even at the unit level, we have faced this before. Back in 1997 and 1998, some of us were in cells together, enjoying ourselves during the Abacha regime. But what matters now is the fight for workers’ rights.
“What is important is the circumstances that took me to that place and whatever it is, we are out to continue the struggle. We have got minimum wage, which has not been implemented, so we have to press for its implementation as soon as possible. Every other thing that will make the welfare of Nigeria workers worthwhile, we will be involved in it,” Ajaero said.
Reflecting on his long history of labour activism, Ajaero recalled being detained alongside human rights lawyer, Falana during the military regime of Sani Abacha in 1998.
When asked about what transpired at the meeting with the police, Ajaero said the police asked him to state all he knew about the foreigner who had been declared wanted.
“I wouldn’t know the intent of the police in bringing me to question, it is only them that know their intention. As the issue is still being investigated, I am not going to serve as a judge,” he said.
NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said: “Ajaero is a leader, not a terrorist. Where would he get the money to sponsor or finance terrorism? Is it workers’ money? It is unfortunate that the government has chosen to go down this path. Perhaps they want to distract us with these baseless allegations so that we won’t focus on the issues affecting workers and the Nigerian people.
“The police should concentrate on addressing the insecurity that is seriously affecting Nigerians. The government should focus on resolving the issue of hunger that is killing our citizens. They should use their time and energy to find solutions to the numerous problems we face as a country.”
Also speaking, Falana stated that Ajaero “is innocent of the heinous allegations leveled against him by the police,” adding that what transpired at the meeting with the police investigators did not reflect the content of their invitation which created suspicion.
The IRT had asked Ajaero on August 19 to appear before it to answer charges of alleged criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrime. The invitation came after a raid on the NLC headquarters in Abuja on August 7 during which security operatives broke into the building’s second floor and ransacked a bookshop.
A member of Ajaero’s legal team, Maxwell Opara, also disclosed that Ajaero was not questioned on the allegations for which he was invited. He said the police questioned the NLC president about a tenant in the NLC building rather than the severe crimes initially mentioned. Opara also called for the release of minors detained during the recent #EndBadGovernance protests.
MEANWHILE, a Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit instituted against the anti-hunger protesters by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Inspector General of Police (IGP), Department of the State Service (DSS) and the Chiefs of Army and Defence Staff. The suit filed by about 17 Nigerians against the last nationwide protests was thrown out by the court for want of diligent prosecution.
Justice Peter Lifu terminated the suit yesterday following the absence of the 17 plaintiffs and 26 defendants in court and without legal representation from the two parties. Although the suit was fixed for hearing, Justice Lifu was however shocked that none of the 17 plaintiffs showed up nor were they represented by any legal practitioner.
To worsen the matter, the defendants, comprising Omoyele Somore,
Take It Back movement, Nigerians against hunger, and other CSOs that participated in the protest had no legal representation while no excuses or explanations were offered for the boycott of the proceedings. Furious by the development, Justice Lifu held that it had become apparent that the plaintiffs were no longer interested in the matter and subsequently struck it out.
The plaintiffs, drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country, had approached the court seeking an order to terminate the protest because their fundamental rights to freedom of movement, human dignity, right to own property, economic, social and cultural development and right to national peace and security were been breached.
They asked the court to compel the Director General of the DSS, Inspector General of Police, Chiefs of Army and Defence Staff as well as the AGF to enforce their fundamental rights by bringing the protesters to order. The plaintiffs cited Kaduna, Kano, and Jigawa among others where great destructions were allegedly done to public and private properties.
The suit was however terminated by Justice Lifu as a result of a lack of diligent prosecution on the part of the plaintiffs. Some of the plaintiffs are Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, Ocholi Aduku, Francis John, Nnamdi Eze, Chibuzor Ifeanyi, Fesco Olatunde and Ishaya Istifanus among others.
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