Delta CP Urges NLC to Uphold Due Process in Ajaero’s Invitation
Asaba, Aug. 29, 2024 (The Gavel) – The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to respect due process in response to the police’s invitation of its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
Abaniwonda made this appeal on Thursday during a protest organized by the Delta chapter of the NLC at the state police headquarters in Asaba. The protest, led by Comrade Ziko Okwudi, NLC’s first Vice-Chairman in the state, was in solidarity with Ajaero.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ajaero had been invited by the police for questioning over alleged involvement in terrorism, and he honored the invitation in Abuja on Thursday.
Commissioner Abaniwonda clarified that Ajaero’s invitation was purely for an interactive session to aid police investigations into the allegations.
“As a security agency, our role is to investigate. There is no intimidation or witch-hunting of the NLC president,” Abaniwonda stated. “We invited him simply to share what he knows about the allegations, and no one has threatened him with arrest. The interaction is purely investigative, and in the end, Nigerians will be informed of its nature. We urge labour to allow the process to unfold without pre-empting it.”
Abaniwonda commended the Delta NLC for conducting their protest peacefully and urged them to continue being law-abiding citizens. He assured that the Federal Government (FG) was not seeking to intimidate the NLC or its leadership but rather to continue collaborating with them for the nation’s progress.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Aina Adesola, received the protesting NLC members, assuring them that the police and FG were not targeting the labour union. “The authorities value your role in the growth of our nation, and the police remain your partners in progress,” Adesola said.
In his remarks, Comrade Okwudi expressed disappointment over the treatment of Ajaero, describing it as an attack on the labour movement in Nigeria. He asserted that NLC would never engage in terrorism and urged the FG to handle the allegations against their president cautiously.
“We stand in solidarity with Comrade Ajaero because an injury to one is an injury to all,” Okwudi emphasized, reaffirming NLC’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerian citizens.
(The Gavel/NAN)
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