Labour yesterday rejected the reasons given by the police for its action at the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which the union described as an invasion.
On Friday, the police said its men raided an office within the NLC headquarters building but not the NLC offices, reports The Nation.
“Detectives, armed with the appropriate legal authority, conducted an operation at the location, which turned out to be the NLC building. This well-coordinated, lawful operation was solely aimed at apprehending the prime suspect—a foreign national – implicated in numerous criminal activities across Nigeria and other African countries,” the police statement read.
It added that the operation had no connection with the NLC, its secretariat, staff, or leadership “and was strictly focused on a rented shop within the building used by the suspect as a front for his criminal activities in Nigeria.”
The Labour centre in communique after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting partly reads: “NEC-in-session rejects outrightly the explanation offered by the Police as the reason for the invasion. It described it as rather an afterthought and an attempt to cover the hidden motives behind such action as it raises more questions than answers. It therefore demands a clear explanation from the government as quickly as possible.
“NEC believes that the invasion by the police is a deliberate provocation by the government and as such would not allow itself to act out of anger but to exercise caution for the greater sake of our nation. It insists that in the midst of recklessness, insanity and irresponsibility, patriots would always take the high road of restraint. This is what is required now and the response of the government to our queries will determine what our next line of action will be in the coming days.”
