The United Action Front of Civil Society (UAFCS) has described the “abduction” of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Joe Ajaero and the invasion of Social Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) office by the Department of State Services (DSS) as an attempt to cause anarchy in the country.
The civil society organisation further demanded the immediate release of the NLC President and retreat from the office of SERAP to avoid undue collision with the Nigerian civil society.
A statement by a spokesperson of UAFCS, Mallam Hamisu Santuraki, said the needless rascality employed by the DSS has “generated shockwaves across the country and may lead to mass resistance and civil disobedience in the country if Ajaero is not released immediately.”
Recall that DSS operatives arrested Ajaero at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on his way to attend the Conference of the Trade Union Congress, TUC in the United Kingdom, which is billed to commence yesterday.
Similarly, the covert security outfit, also invaded the office of a civil society platform, SERAP yesterday morning in Abuja.
Reacting, UAFCS said, “We wish to state that the DSS has for no reason broken the civil and conventional practice earlier adopted by the police as touching security issues with well known high profile citizens and leaders of the people like the President of the NLC by by extending invitations to them rather than employing dehumanising tactics such as forceful abduction against them to embarrass and intimidate them like common criminals.”
They described Ajaero as a leader of both the Labour movement and the masses of Nigeria, who deserves to be treated with profound decorum and courtesy.
“Consequently, security issues with him should be handled with due process and not with gestapo tactics displayed by security agents today to cause national chaos.”
Stressing that Ajaero’s abduction was brash and indecent and should be condemned by all Nigerians.
The civil rights group also condemned what it described as the crude invasion of the SERAP office in Abuja for no stated reasons by the same operatives of the state.
It added that the illegal operations of Nigerian security operatives without arrest and search warrants can only depict Nigeria as a panicky and drowning Police State trying to gag every civil and democratic voice in the country.
“Finally, We demand the immediate release of the NLC President and retreat from the office of SERAP to avoid undue collision with the Nigerian civil society.
“However, as a major Pillar of the Labour and Civil Society Front, LCSFront, we wish to call on our allies nationwide to immediately commence national consultations on how best to halt the growing police State in Nigeria as evidenced by the massive repression of civil and democracy space by State Agent in Nigeria,” UAFCS said.
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