DSS releases NLC President Joe Ajaero, Seizes his Passport

The Department of State Services Service (DSS) has released Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The secret police released him at about 11 p.m. on Monday, September 9, 2024, but seized his passport.

He was released to his lawyer, Abubakar Marshall, from Falana and Falana Chambers after 15 hours of detention since his arrest at about 7 a.m. on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja

The NLC announced his release via a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) account in the early hours of Tuesday.

“NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero released from DSS detention.

The struggle continues, we can’t be silenced,” the NLC’s tweet announcing Ajaero’s release read.

Ajaero was arrested at the airport in Abuja on Monday while trying to catch a flight to the United Kingdom to attend an event of the World Trade Union Congress (WTUC).

Ajaero’s detention sparked widespread criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including from Amnesty International, which demanded an unconditional release of the labour leader on Monday.

The NLC, in a statement by its spokesperson, Benson Upah, also said Mr Ajaero’s “arbitrary arrest” depicted “an escalating crackdown on human rights and restrictions on civic space by the government of President Bola Tinubu.”

Another of Ajaero’s lawyers, Maxwell Opara, condemned said the labour leader had informed the SSS about his trip to the United Kingdom for an official engagement.

The lawyer said the DSS had invited Ajaero a couple of days ago via telephone call but that he told the secret police that he would honour the invitation on Monday, September 16, upon his return from the UK to Nigeria.

“They (SSS) invited him on the phone. He told them that he was engaged with the World Trade Union Congress. He had committed to meeting with the SSS on Monday when he returned from the UK,” Opara said in an interview on Monday.

Opara accused the Nigerian government of attempting to undermine Mr Ajaero’s advocacy and leadership of the NLC by arresting him.

According to the lawyer, the arrest is part of a broader strategy to disrupt the NLC president’s efforts on behalf of Nigerian workers.

Opara accused the government of plotting to remove the labour leader from office and replace him with somebody more aligned with its interests.

“The government wants to push him out,” Opara said. “The SSS claimed Mr Ajaero was invited, despite his clear communication about his availability. This is a deliberate attempt to disrupt his work.

“The timing and nature of this arrest suggest an effort to weaken Ajaero’s influence and consolidate control over the labour movement,” he added.

The NLC and Ajaero have been having a running battle with the Nigerian government.

The police have invited him on two occasions, one of which involved the 70-year-old British socialist Andrew Wynee, who runs a bookstore in the Labour House building, where the NLC headquarters is located.

Citing Wynnee’s connection with the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests held across many states in August, the Nigerian government declared him wanted last week over an alleged attempt to topple President Bola Tinubu’s government.

Wynne has dismissed the allegation, maintaining that protests are not treason as alleged by the government.