Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, has been taken into custody by agents of the Department of State Services. Ajaero was detained on Monday morning while travelling to the United Kingdom for a formal job at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The president of the NLC was scheduled to attend today’s opening of the Trade Union Congress convention in London. Recall that security personnel have recently been keeping an eye on Ajaero. On Thursday, August 20, the President of the NLC accepted an invitation extended to him by the police force’s Intelligence Response Team, or IRT. This came after he received a police summons on August 19 telling him to report the following day and threatening to have him arrested if he didn’t show up.
However, Ajaero sent a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) via human rights campaigner Femi Falana (SAN), stating his inability to obey the summons on the specified day. But he did let the IGP know that he would be there on August 29 to address the charges of criminal conspiracy, financing of terrorism, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime. As promised, Ajaero went to the Force Headquarters to obey the police summons, accompanied by Falana, Maxwell Opara, Deji Adeyanju, and other attorneys and labour leaders. Less than a day later, on September 5, the Police again called Emma Ugboaja, the General Secretary, and the President of the NLC to attend at Force Headquarters.
The NLC President and General Secretary will be responding to enquiries on suspected criminal intimidation, actions that could jeopardise public order, and intentional property damage this time. The Nigeria Police Force’s Force Headquarters’ Force Intelligence Department, or FID, is the one inviting them. The police summons, with the subject line “Investigation activities,” is dated August 28, 2024. A letter of invitation. It was signed by Commissioner of Police, Operations, Ibitoye Rufus Alajide, on behalf of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, Force Intelligence Department, FID, Abuja.
The letter said as follows: “In an effort to investigate the claims of criminal intimidation, actions that could jeopardise public order, and intentional destruction of property bearing your name. Through the undersigned, you are kindly asked to accompany Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja to an interview with the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Department, FID, on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 11 a.m. at SPO’s Room 112, 2nd Floor, Force Intelligence Department (FID) Complex, Shehu Shagari Way, across from Force Headquarters Area 11, Garki, Abuja.