NLC alleges assassination attempt on Ajaero, indicts CP
Insecurity in Imo politically-motivated, Situation Room alleges
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has alleged that the invasion and attack on Azalla Owalla in Emekuku, Owerri, Imo State, hometown of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, at the weekend, was Governor Hope Uzodimma’s sinister objective to assassinate the labour leader.
The NLC alleged that the invasion motive was laid bare by Uzodimma’s latest act of aggression on the community, under the misguided belief that Ajaero was still present, recovering from injuries inflicted by the state’s police and hired thugs.
A statement by the NLC Head of Media and Information, Benson Upah, yesterday, stressed that the use of excessive force on citizens, who hold dissenting opinions or dare to question the governor’s governance style, particularly regarding the inhuman treatment of workers in Imo State, was an affront on democracy.
According to Upah, the current situation in Imo is nothing short of a descent into fascism, where terror takes precedence over reason, and dialogue is pushed to the sidelines.
He alleged that the brazen and violent assault on the NLC chief and others on November 1, inside the congress’ secretariat in Imo by Uzodimma, his thugs, and the Commissioner of Police stands as a stark reminder of the length to which they were willing to go in their pursuit of suppression and brutality.
Upah called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Olukayode Egbetokun, to rein in the Imo CP to prevent further abuse and desecration of the nation’s police force.
He alleged that the police boss had become a tool of oppression in the hands of the governor, intimidating and harassing the people of Imo. According to him, immediate removal of the CP is essential to prevent impending crisis.
MEANWHILE, Civil Society Situation Room has expressed worry over the current security situation in Imo ahead of the off cycle governorship election on Saturday.
Reacting to the assault on Ajaero, Situation Room said the level of violence and insecurity appears to be largely politically-motivated and condoned by security agencies in the state whose loyalty at the time of the occurrence may have assumed a partisan colouration.
Convener of the Room, Mr. Y.Z Ya’u, stated, at the weekend, in Abuja: “For over three years, Imo has been a hotbed of violence perpetrated by unidentified actors, with little to no intervention by the state government to secure life and property.”
“Security agencies, who have also been victims of some of the many violent attacks in the state, have ended up carrying out reprisal attack on citizens in some cases.”
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