Details have emerged from the police interview with Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), revealing a surprising turn of events. Summoned over allegations including terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony, Ajaero arrived at the police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) command in Guzape on Thursday morning, accompanied by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana and a coalition of lawyers.
Arriving at 10:20 a.m., Ajaero and his legal team spent less than two hours at the IRT before departing. A lawyer who was part of the delegation disclosed that the police had little to substantiate the allegations against Ajaero. The interaction was described as “very friendly,” with the police reportedly seeking information about a former tenant of Labour House, who had been involved in the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
The lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, clarified that the individual in question, who operated a bookshop on the second floor of the building, had no direct connection to Ajaero, whose office is located on the 10th floor. “Ajaero has no business with the arrest of anybody. We explained to the police that they should have simply placed a call to him instead of sending a formal invitation that made the matter appear more serious than it was,” the lawyer stated.
During the interview, Ajaero’s legal team urged the police to either release all protesters involved in the investigation or charge them to court, reiterating that the NLC President had no involvement in the alleged activities being investigated.
This development follows a period of heightened tension, as the NLC had previously threatened nationwide strikes if Ajaero or any union leader faced unjust treatment. However, the outcome of the interview seems to have de-escalated the situation, with no immediate actions taken against Ajaero.
