The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has condemned today’s invasion of its Secretariat in Abuja by about 70 thugs who were hired by agents of the government.
It also alerted the nation to what it called the “militarization” of Abuja.
“As part of its desperate moves to abort the peoples mass protests and intimidate Nigerians, the Presidency this morning turned out heavily armed units of the Presidential guards,” NLC Acting Secretary General Owei Lakemfa said in a statement. “The troops blocked roads, condoned off parts of the city, harassed and frisked passersby.”
He condemned the misuse of the army and a “show of force” it said was designed to intimidate peace loving Nigerians, warning that members of the police and the armed forces are equally affected by the negative impacts of the fuel price hike.
On the presence of the thugs at Labour House, Mr. Lakemfa said the aim was to cause a fracas which would lead to claims that workers are divided over the issue of fuel price increase. He said the thugs later apologized, claiming they had not been told they were being taken to the NLC.
“They revealed that they were promised One Thousand Naira (N1,000) each to carry out the invasion,” he said. “Subsequently, they forced the agents that brought them to pay the N1,000 fee right in the presence of the cameras.”
He regretted that during the invasion, the FCT Police Command ignored calls by NLC officers to come and deal with the situation, and that the heavily armed security men who had condoned off parts of the area also did nothing to stop the invaders.
“The NLC views this incident as another desperate attempt by the increasingly isolated and unpopular Jonathan administration to stop the mass movement against its insensitive and ridiculous fuel price increases of between 120-220 per cent,” Mr. Lakemfa said
The NLC also noted that fraudulent text messages were sent around earlier in the morning, containing the fiction that the government had reversed the price of petrol back to N65, on the strength of which it was said that the Labour Movement had called off the action scheduled for next Monday.
“The NLC informs Nigerians that on this issue of strikes and protests, only statements or messages from the Labour Movement should be taken as authentic,” the statement said.
It reaffirmed the right of Nigerians to peaceful assembly and protest as a fundamental one which no government can abridge, and vowed that the NLC will work with the Nigeria Bar Association to bring those who brutalize Nigerians, and their bosses who issue the orders, to justice.
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