One person is feared dead as security agents whisked away the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero at the ongoing protest in Owerri, the Imo state capital.

This is as miscreants descended on protesters, smashing vehicles, inflicting injuries and dispossessing handsets from labour members that had gathered at the NLC State secretariat.

Already, the whereabouts of the NLC President are unknown as heavily armed security personnel took him away.

The NLC President alongside other members of the Central Working Committee, CWC, were at the State Secretariat in Owerri to begin the planned strike action against what they called the government’s insensitivity to the plight of workers in the State.

At the protest rally led by the national leadership of the labour movement against alleged maltreatment of workers in the state, as early as 8 am, workers started gathering at the state Secretariat of the NLC for the protest but suddenly some men with harmful weapons stormed the Secretariat and attacked the workers and chased them away.

It was a rowdy sight as union leaders and Journalists scampered for safety.

However, the workers reassembled at the Secretariat but this time led by the NLC president and General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja to commence the protest.

The report had it that just as Ajaero was about to address the gathering, a team of armed Policemen and hooded men in truckloads stormed the venue arrested him alongside some officials of NLC and took them away.

There were several gunshots fired to disperse the workers.

An unconfirmed report has it that a union member from the maritime was feared dead while the TVC cameraman was arrested and his camera smashed.

Already the TVC reporter, who also sustained injury has gone into hiding for fear of further attacks.

Confirming the report on the telephone, the Head of Information and Publicity at the NLC, Benson Upah said that Ajaero was arrested by the Police.

He said: “The NLC President was abducted by men suspected to be Policemen armed to their teeth at the Imo state NLC secretariat on Wednesday as we are about to commence our lawful protest against the violation of trade union rights of the workers.”

Also while giving an account of the incident, NLC Deputy General Secretary and Chief of Staff to the NLC president, Chris Onyeka said that he was standing with Ajaero when he was brutalized and arrested.

“As workers were gathering to protest their maltreatment by the state government in Owerri, Imo state and the President of NLC was about to address the workers, the Police came amidst attacks by thugs to arrest Ajaero.

“Thugs first attacked and dragged Ajaero from the platform before Police came to arrest them along with another senior official of the NLC,” he said.

Speaking to Vanguard on the phone, the General Secretary of NLC, Emma Ugbaja alleged that the State Commissioner of Police led the attack under the instructions of the state government.

He claimed that the government had mobilized “his thugs” as early as 6 a.m. and took over the area, adding, “When they (thugs) saw the (NLC) President, the CP led the thugs into the place.

“There were about five Naval personnel on duty. The Police arrested and brutalized him and took him to their Tiger base and nobody has sighted him.”

Ugbaja further claimed that the hired thugs tore the clothes of the NLC President, who incidentally is from Imo State.

He further said that the Deputy General Secretary and the Deputy President of the Duck workers were manhandled and had broken arms, while their phones and an undisclosed amount of money were collected from them.

“As we are speaking, we have not seen the NLC President,” Ugbaja said.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that the electricity workers had joined the protest and the electricity supply was disconnected.

A source in the hospitality industry, who disclosed this to Vanguard, said she got a call from Power Holding to stockpile enough gas as there might be black out in the state for one week. (Vanguard)

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