NLC Give Details of Nighttime Invasion on Labour House by Security Forces
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has provided information about a nighttime raid on its headquarters, the Labour House in Abuja, by armed security personnel. In a statement, the NLC has called for an international investigation into this distressing incident.
According to Benson Upah, the NLC’s Head of Media and Public Relations, the organization has instructed its staff to avoid the Labour House until it can be confirmed that no incriminating evidence or harmful substances were left by the security forces. The NLC has urged the international community to recognize the decline in democratic values as Nigeria increasingly adopts police state tactics.
The statement details that at approximately 8:30 p.m. on the previous night, after working hours had ended, heavily armed security personnel, including members of the Nigeria Police Force, individuals in black shirts likely from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others in plain clothes, raided the Labour House. They detained the security guard on duty and forced him to reveal the keys to the offices. When he could not provide them, the operatives broke into the second floor and looted the bookshop, taking hundreds of books and other materials, claiming they were searching for seditious items related to the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The NLC condemned the raid, criticizing the security forces for not presenting any legal documentation authorizing the invasion at such an inappropriate hour. The statement highlighted that even during military rule, NLC offices were never subjected to such invasive actions.
Earlier that day, the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) had condemned the heavy-handed treatment of protesters and the unnecessary violence that had resulted. The NEC had also denounced the mass arrests of protest leaders and the misuse of charges like ‘treason’ to describe the protests. The subsequent raid on the Labour House, which occurred hours later, was unexpected and alarming.
In response, the NLC is calling for an international inquiry into the invasion, the immediate withdrawal of the security forces from the Labour House, and the return of all confiscated materials by the end of the next business day, August 8, 2024. The NLC emphasized that the operation was illegal as there was no court order for the search and seizure.
The NLC warns that continued harassment may lead them to instruct members to stay away from work until their safety is guaranteed. They stress that stifling public discourse and constructive engagement amidst the current hardships will only exacerbate the situation.
