November 02, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Thursday, said its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, would be flown abroad for medical treatment for the injuries he sustained during a scuffle in Imo state.
THEWILL had reported that Ajaero was hospitalised at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, on Wednesday, after he was allegedly brutalised by security operatives.
NLC publicity secretary, Benson Upah, said on Thursday, that Ajaero could not be treated at the Medical facility in Owerri because of the nature of the injuries.
The NLC president was in Owerri on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, to mobilise Imo workers for a protest rally in the state over an alleged violation and abuse of the rights and privileges of workers by the state government.
However, the planned peaceful protest turned violent with allegations that thugs emerged and descended on the protesters and labour leaders.
In a video shared widely on social media, the NLC president shared his ordeal after being reportedly abducted.
The video, which was recorded in a moving vehicle, showed Ajaero in the back seat lamenting how police operatives maltreated him.
“My brother, they beat me o. God must have taken extra time to create me. Ordinarily, the kind of way I was beaten…..”
Meanwhile, Human rights activist, Femi Falana, has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to ensure that officers who allegedly brutalised Ajaero are arrested and prosecuted.
While the police on Wednesday, denied the arrest of Ajaero, Spokesperson of the Command, ASP Okoye Henry, in a statement, said its operatives took Ajaero to a protective custody.
But Falana, while faulting the statement by the police on Ajaero’s arrest, said: “The police version of the brutalisation of the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero is full of loopholes.
“Why did the police allow Comrade Ajaero to be brutalised by the so-called miscreants? In other words, why did the police not protect him from the violent attack?
“So the police who witnessed the attack without making any arrest suddenly turned round to take the victim to the police clinic. The members of the public who decried the barbaric attack took pictures, which exposed the misleading version of the police.
“It is disturbing that the police justified the action of the so-called miscreants by saying that Comrade Ajaero has disobeyed the order of a court. Why did the police not allow the court to purge Comrade Ajaero of contempt of court?
“We call on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and ensure that the police officers who brutalised the NLC President are prosecuted.”
About the Author
