…Says DSS Has Broken Civil, Conventional Practice
…Cautions Of Mass Resistance If Ajaero Is Not Released Immediately
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), The United Action Front of Civil Society has warned that the arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero in a gestapo manner at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) is an attempt to cause national anarchy.
This was disclosed in a press statement on Monday signed by Mallam Hamisu Santuraki, Spokesperson, National Coordinating Secretariat, United Action Front of Civil Society, stressing that the show of force by DSS in abducting Ajaero in Abuja on his way to attend the Conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the United Kingdom, billed to commence today (Monday) was needless.
The statement read, “We wish to state that the DSS has broken the civil and conventional practice earlier adopted by the police as touching security issues with well-known high profile citizens and leaders of the people like the President of the NLC by extending invitations to them rather than employing de-humanising tactics such as forceful abduction to embarrass and intimidate them like common criminals.
“As a matter of fact, Comrade Ajaero is a huge Leader of both the Labour movement and the masses of Nigeria given his popular position as the President of the NLC and therefore deserves to be treated with profound decorum and courtesy.
“Consequently, security issues with him should be handled with due process and not in a rough manner displayed by security agents today capable of causing national chaos and anarchy
“For us in the organised civil society and pro-democracy movement of Nigeria, the abduction of Ajaero today is brash and indecent on the part of Nigerian security operatives and should be condemned by all Nigerians.
“We therefore wish to unequivocally condemn this needless rascality employed by the DSS today against the President of the NLC which has already generated shockwaves through the length and breadth of the country and may lead to mass resistance and civil disobedience in the country if Ajaero is not released immediately by the state
“Finally, as a major pillar of the Labour and Civil Society Front, LCS Front, we wish to call on our allies nationwide to immediately commence national consultations on how best to halt the growing police state in Nigeria as evidenced by the massive repression of civil and democracy space by State Agent in Nigeria,” he added.
