The organised labour made the declaration in Abuja on Thursday at the Labour House where various affiliate union leaders gathered early morning in solidarity with Ajaero.
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have vowed to shut down the country if the police detain their President, Joe Ajaero over alleged terrorism financing, especially in the wake of the #EndBadGovernance protests held between August 1 and 10, 2024.
The organised labour made the declaration in Abuja on Thursday at the Labour House where various affiliate union leaders gathered early morning in solidarity with Ajaero.
Ajaero in company with his lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), later proceeded to the office of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at the disbanded SARS facility located at Guzape. They drove out of the NLC Headquarters at about 10:00 am.
Meanwhile, the affiliate members accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of only chasing shadow for accusing the labour of funding terrorism.
The leaders therefore threatened to shut down the entire country should the NLC president be detained.
Ajaero was initially invited by the police authorities to appear on Tuesday, August 20 but he declined to honour the invitation on account that it was too sudden and that he had other official engagements scheduled for the same date.
Legal counsel for NLC, Falana had written the police authorities, informing them that his client could only honour the invitation today, August 29, 2024.
As at the time of filing this report, most of the leaders of the affiliate unions making up the NLC had converged on the NLC headquarters to accompany Ajaero to the office of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Abuja.
It was also gathered that while Ajaero and the lawyer will report at the IRT Command, former SARS office in Abuja, the other union members will march to the Force Headquarters with placards.
Some of the unions spotted on the ground to accompany the NLC President include Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria JUSUN, National Union of Telecommunication Employees NUPTE, and the Radio and Television and Act Workers Union (RATTAWU).
General Secretary of the NLC, Emmanuel Ugboaja while addressing the members accused the Federal Government of chasing shadows, mockingly saying Ajaero was never on the run.
“Which money does the NLC President have to fund terrorism?” he asked.
The police authorities recently invaded the NLC Headquarters on allegations that the building was hosting a terrorist.
