A civil society organisation (CSO), Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), has called for the speedy trial of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, over alleged terrorism financing and treason allegation.
Ajaero was recently invited for questioning by the police over alleged criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrime.
The invitation came weeks after the police conducted a night raid at the NLC national secretariat in Abuja, a move that triggered media war between organised labour and the police.
In a statement made available to NewsNGR, the Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran, called on the government to immediately charge the NLC president to court if truly they have evidence to back up the claim that he is involved in any crime whatsoever against the state.
He also noted that the government should be ready to compensate him for the embarrassment if the claim were later found out to be trumped-up charges.
“We have observed that some agencies of the state are carrying out clandestine operations to arrest and persecute those that participated in the #Endbadgovernance protest. For the umpteenth time, we are reiterating our position of disappointment over the arrest of protesters just on the basis of publicly associating with a protest aimed at decrying the socio-economic situation in the country and for calling for far reaching reforms that could give necessary reliefs to majority of Nigerians.
“Since citizens of this great country have the rights to support any peaceful protest that is in tandem with their personal opinion or conviction, it is wrong for any agency of government to launch a campaign of calumny or attempt to witch-hunt or arrest them based on their affiliation or association with a particular protest. It is therefore tantamount to gross abuse of power and authority for any agency of government to condescend so low to the extent of harassing citizens as a result of their involvement in any peaceful protest,” Adeniran said.
The CACOL boss advised the police and other Nigerian security apparatus to be rightly guided of their operations, nuances and limitations under a democracy, so as not to resort to any repressive attitudes over legitimate and peaceful agitations under any guise.
“The Police as an agent of the Executive, judiciary and other arms of government must at all times, be seen to operate within the ambit of the rule of law and Separation of power, without which the state and the general public descend into an Hobbesian state of Nature. As a veritable stakeholder in the Nigerian project, we would like to reiterate that we are not in any way in support of anyone or group of persons engaging in terrorism financing, arson, treasonable felony, or any other crime against the state,” he added.