A Civil rights advocate group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has slammed Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his outburst declaring the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leaders wanted for staging peaceful protest in Kaduna.

The labour had expressed dissatisfaction over the sack of civil servants by the Kaduna State Government and had declared a five-day warning strike.

Meanwhile, Governor El-Rufai had ordered the arrest of the NLC members as a result of the ongoing strike in the state.

Reacting to the governor’s approach, HURIWA while condemning the illegality that the Kaduna State Governor in a tweet on Tuesday placed an undisclosed reward for information on the whereabouts of the labour leaders, said it is illegal for El-Rufai to have claimed that NLC President Ayuba Wabba, and other top union heads are in hiding over alleged economic sabotage and attacks on public infrastructure in his state.

HURIWA said that labour has the constitutionally guaranteed inalienable freedoms of movement and association as provided for in chapter four of the 1999 Constitution.

HURIWA said that the NLC have the right to stage a protest in any part of Nigeria in line with the spirit of collective bargaining principle adding that the tweet purporting to declare national labour leaders wanted was an attempt to mobilise thugs to violently harm the peaceful protesters.

The rights group wondered why a state governor will be playing the ignominious role of an instigator of political thuggery and lawlessness.

HURIWA, however, warned the Kaduna State governor not to escalate the situation by manipulating the Nigerian Police paid with tax-payers money to arrest the national leaders of the labour unions.

It warned that any arrest of the labour leaders may lead to a breakdown of law and order which must be avoided.

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