A chieftain of the Labour Party, LP, Hon Linus Okorie, has warned against what he called the deployment of internal security and police by the federal government against the National President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
Okorie, who represented Ohaozara, Onicha, and Ivo federal constituency of Ebonyi State in the lower chamber, expressed dismay over the action against Ajaero.
The party chieftain was the LP’s 2023/ 2024 Ebonyi South Senatorial candidate.
This was contained in a statement he issued on Tuesday and made available to Newspot in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
According to him, “There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive, and the deployment of internal security and police forces play a heightened role in governance.
“A police state is a characteristic of authoritarian, totalitarian or illiberal regimes (contrary to a liberal democratic regime). Such governments are typically one-party states, but a police state may emerge in a democracy.
“Another authority defined a police state as ‘a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens’ activities’.
“During the recent national hunger protests, complaints of police brutality leading to alleged fatalities were rampant.
“It was so much so that Amnesty International issued a state statement indicating that 13 persons were killed in the first day of the nationwide protests, and calling for a probe.
“Other notable individuals and organizations had also raised concerns about the same allegations indicting the Nigeria police of extreme force against unarmed protesters. One of such organizations was the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by Comrade Joe Ajaero.
“This also included the Presidential Candidates of the PDP and LP in the 2023 Presidential elections, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, respectively. It is noteworthy that the NLC had since July 2024 been facing pressures over the nationwide protest that eventually took place in the month of August.
“Prior to this time, and arising from burgeoning leadership crisis in the Labour Party (LP), which the NLC is the legally recognized institutional promoter, the Congress had convened an expansive stakeholders meeting in April 2024 to midwife a National Transition Committee (NTC) to manage the affairs of the LP in a post-Abure era, given that the tenure of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) was set to expire on July 9, 2024.
“Beginning from that date, and given the intransigence of the Abure team on sitting tight, events suggestive of coordinated blackmail and assaults on the NLC and its leadership crept in from several seen and unseen sources.
“They were, obviously, all targeted at frustrating the noble efforts of the LP-NTC to birth a formidable LP, as the viable alternative political platform for the majority of yearning Nigerians.
“First, the police was innocuously used to frustrate the LP-NTC’s effort to take over the National Secretariat of the LP, as its rightful operational hub on July 13, 2024.
“This was later explained away as a sincere effort to ensure peace and avert a breakdown of law and order; even though the police team bias against the LP-NTC was all too clear during the event.
“Then on July 7, 2024, security agents conducted a night raid on the NLC national secretariat in Abuja. According to the NLC spokesperson, Benson Upah, the operatives burst into the building at about 8.30 pm and arrested the security guards, forcing them to hand over keys to the offices on the second floor.
“The police, which later took responsibility for the operation, said it was aimed at uncovering incriminating documents that could help build a case against an international “subversive” figure considered a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
“This explanation was promptly rejected by the NLC and the Congress went ahead to demand the prompt release of its arrested members and seized documents.
“Following quickly from the unexplained raid of the NLC secretariat, the allegation by Arabambi was seen as a kite being flown by the unseen conspirators clearly intent on blackmailing and intimidating the NLC and its leadership into abandoning the charted course to a new and vibrant LP.
“This is why the sudden and unexplained police letter dated August 19, 2024 to Joe Ajaero inviting him ‘for questioning over alleged criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrime in which he was mentioned’ is not only curious, but suspect.
“It is also on record that Joe Ajaero was in November 2023, during a protest in Owerri, allegedly singled out by the police accompanied by thugs.
“In a joint press release then, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said that ‘police accompanied by thugs inflicted heavy injuries and blows to his [Mr Ajaero’s] head and body, kicking him in the process while dragging him on the ground’.
“NLC spokesman Benson Upah also alleged that police continued to assault Mr Ajaero after taking him away, causing injuries that shut his right eye.
“He was later released and immediately went to receive medical treatment for facial injuries.
“For a man whose public profile is so well known and who cannot suddenly disappear from circulation, even if he wanted to, the abruptness with which the police wants him to appear within 24 hours to answer to such high crimes without prior accusations, rankles the brain.
“This also calls to question if citizens rights to fair hearing guaranteed under section 36 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) still means anything to our security agencies; especially the Police.
“It is, therefore, heartwarming that Femi Falana, SAN, has offered his revered self and services in defense of citizen Joe Ajaero.
“He has rightfully requested a shift in date and more importantly particulars- ‘nature and detail of the criminal allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrime leveled against him’.
“It is hoped that the police authorities will allow this due process to operate, and abide by it, in accordance with the laws of the land.
“But the more important concern is what happens to the millions of ordinary Nigerians who do not have access to and capacity for the representation of Femi Falana, as Joe Ajaero now has?
“How many have suffered indignities and other negative consequences for ‘fly by the night’ allegations wrapped around their necks for reasons that may never be explained? How many more shall suffer same?”
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