The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, was arrested on Monday due to his failure to respond to multiple invitations from law enforcement agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services (DSS).
This development was confirmed by security sources who spoke with TheCable.
The arrest stemmed from a series of allegations involving Ajaero, including a petition by Air Peace airlines, the details of which remain undisclosed.
Furthermore, Ajaero is implicated in an alleged extortion case, which prompted the DSS to summon him, an invitation he did not honor.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) also sought Ajaero’s cooperation in an investigation related to Andrew Wynne, a Briton accused of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria, a charge Wynne denies.
Ajaero initially refused to engage with the police regarding his association with Wynne but later reconsidered.
Despite this, after being released following an initial questioning, Ajaero did not appear for further sessions as requested.
In August, the police had extended an invitation to Ajaero for questioning related to severe allegations including criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.
The NLC headquarters in Abuja’s Central Business District was raided as part of this investigation, with police operatives searching for what they described as “seditious materials” used for the #EndBadGovernance protests.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, later disclosed that the investigation had uncovered links between one of the masterminds of the conflict in Sudan and the NLC headquarters.
This individual was reportedly traced to a bookshop within the Labour House, leading to a targeted operation by the police, rather than a full raid of the NLC secretariat.