NLC holds emergency meeting as DSS detains labour leader Ajaero

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has commenced a closed-door meeting following the Nigerian government's arrest of its President, Joe Ajaero.

Ajaero was reportedly detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) operatives while en route to the United Kingdom to attend a global workers' gathering.

According to Benson Upah, the NLC's Head of Public Relations, Ajaero was apprehended by agents of the DSS without a legal warrant.

His current location and health status remain unknown.

The NLC has condemned the detention, labelling it a "brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation."

"The Congress calls on the international community, human rights organisations, and democracy advocates to take note of the rising wave of authoritarianism in Nigeria," Upah stated, according to Punch.

Labour unions on high alert

Ajaero was scheduled to represent Nigerian workers at the Trade Union Congress in the UK, where he was expected to discuss critical issues such as workers' rights, social justice, and economic fairness.

Upah revealed that the NLC had put its affiliates, state councils, and civil society allies on high alert, stressing that oppressive tactics would not silence the Congress.

"The Congress is currently holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the situation, and the outcome will be made public soon," he added.

The NLC has demanded Ajaero's immediate and unconditional release, warning that this act could have profound and far-reaching consequences for the country's labour movement.