We have arrested attackers of NLC President Joe Ajaero – NSA

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that some persons have been arrested over the assault on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on November 1, 2023.

Ajaero was in the state to join the state civil servants to protest their unpaid salaries when he was assaulted. The NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, on Tuesday November 14, declared a nationwide strike demanding the arrest of the suspected thugs and their sponsors.

In a statement signed by the Head of Strategic Communications in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari U Mijinyawa, Ribadu urged the organized labour to call off the ongoing nationwide strike. He confirmed that some arrearrests have been made regarding the brutalization of the NLC president, pledging that the outcome of the investigation would be made known to the general public.

The statement reads partly

“The NSA is particularly worried about the implications of the strike action on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians and its potential impact on economic security and other strategic national interests. The NSA regrets the incident and condemns it in its entirety as it was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration.

The Federal Government will never condone such an act. As a fallout of the incident, relevant authorities were directed to conduct thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault and bring to book the culprits.

Available update indicates that some arrests have already been made in this regard. The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.”