That Raid On NLC Office

The recent attacks on the national headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by security operatives reminds the nation of the inglorious years of military rule and its ignominious resort to use of brute force in the handling of otherwise civil matters.

Armed security operatives on Wednesday night, invaded the NLC’s headquarters, the Labour House, in Abuja where they reportedly searched offices for yet to be determined materials.

In a statement, the NLC said, “The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts, presumably, from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then took him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.”
Labour alleged that the operatives broke into some offices before carting away books and other publications, noting that “the invading troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the#EndBadGoveranance Protests.”

Without meaning to downplay the fact that the security operatives need to do their work of protecting life and property, we are alarmed at the gestapo manner with which the raid was carried out.
It is regrettable that the operatives who stormed the Labour House did not present any court warrant empowering them to conduct the search. Indeed, this is a new low that should not be allowed to continue as that will jeopardize whatever democratic gains the nation currently enjoys.

We know, for a fact, that the security operatives who embarked on this unfortunate act are well aware of the need for them to, in the minimum, obtain a court order. Perhaps they did not because the intent was to raid and not to search. And since no court will issue an order for a raid, they elected not to approach the court for one.

Already, there are speculations, and we are tempted to believe them, that the raid was the security operatives’ way of registering their displeasure with the NLC for supporting the recent protests.

We observe that most Nigerians likened the raid to a deliberate attempt to silence the NLC considering its vociferous stand against some of the decisions, policies and programmes of the government which made life hard to bear for most Nigerians and hence, triggering the protest.

In our opinion, the fact that the raid came a few hours after the NLC issued a communique at the end of its emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, where it condemned security operatives’ actions during the protest suggest that the raid was the operatives’ way of venting their anger.

In the communique, NLC rightly noted that the government will be self-deluding to think it can stop a democratic protest by threatening the people instead of adopting ‘concrete actions and reasonable dialogue’. It also called for a day of national mourning just as it condemned what it described as flagrant abuse of human rights perpetrated by security operatives against peaceful protesters. Could this be the reason for the raid?

Not to prevaricate, the attack, in our view, is condemnable and needless, it besmudges and does not present a good picture of the security operatives. We don’t need such, certainly not at a time like this.

Clearly, this raid is a great disservice to the present administration and the government must be unequivocal in condemning it as doing otherwise will create the impression that this undemocratic act was sanctioned by the state under a president who earned fame for having fought anti-democratic forces.
We believe that the attack on the NLC headquarters is an isolated case and so should not be taken to mean that the nation’s democratic principles are deteriorating or that there are attempts to return Nigeria into a Police State.

In the meantime, we urge the government to institute an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the raid. Nigerians need to know who authorised the attack and what is the basis for such obvious misstep .

But beyond the inquest, the security operatives should be made to pay reparation to the NLC and indeed, its members of staff who were on duty during the raid, most of whom witnessed the traumatic experience. We recommend that whoever gave authorisation for the raid should bear the cost of the reparation.