The Law is above all_FG to Ajero

The Federal Government has denied allegations of human rights abuses from the UK Trade Union Congress (TUC) regarding the arrest of Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The government stated that Ajaero was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport because he ignored a summons from law enforcement investigating a matter. The government asserted that no one, including the NLC president, is exempt from legal procedures under Nigerian law.

Ajaero, who was detained while heading to a TUC conference in London, later revealed that his international passport and mobile phones had been returned by the DSS. The DSS clarified that their visit to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) office in Abuja was for investigative purposes, not an invasion.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticized the Federal Government for Ajaero’s arrest and the DSS’s actions at the SERAP office. As of yesterday, the DSS had withdrawn its personnel from the SERAP office.