Police ‘arrest’ Joe Ajaero, NLC president, in Imo

Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has reportedly been picked up by security operatives in Owerri, the Imo state capital.

Benson Upah, media head of the NLC, confirmed the development to TheCable.

Upah said Ajaero was picked up from the state council secretariat of the NLC by heavily armed police officers.

“President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero was picked up a few minutes ago from NLC state council secretariat by heavily armed policemen in Owerri and taken to an unknown destination,” he said.

On October 30, the NLC had promised to ground activities in Imo from November 1, to protest the alleged violation and abuse of rights and privileges of workers.

Ajaero had alleged that the Imo government has not paid some workers for 20 months.

“Despite our repeated efforts to engage in constructive dialogue and reach amicable agreements, the Imo state government has become a habitual and serial breaker of these agreements, continuing to trample on the rights of workers in the state,” Ajaero had said.

“As a result, we are left with no choice but to embark on mass protests and industrial actions beginning on the 1st day of November 2023.

“This is to demonstrate our outrage and stop the continuing violation of the rights and privileges of workers in the state.

“Shockingly, some workers have been subjected to a staggering 20 months of unpaid salaries under the unfounded, unjust label of ‘ghost workers’.”