DSS releases Joe Ajaero After 15-Hours,
seized passport
The Department of State Services (DSS) detained Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Monday at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as he was getting ready to leave for the United Kingdom (UK) on a formal assignment. However, Ajaero is now free again.
Early Tuesday morning, the NLC posted a message announcing his release on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The NLC swiftly responded to Ajaero’s arrest by releasing a communiqué denouncing his detention, characterizing it as an intimidation tactic meant to silence the labor movement, and demanding his unconditional release by Monday at noon. The communiqué also emphasized that Ajaero is neither a criminal nor a runaway and that his detention was unwarranted.
“Comrade Joe Ajaero, the President of the NLC, was released from DSS custody.
The NLC said in a tweet that announced Ajaero’s release, “The struggle continues, we can’t be silenced.”
The NLC demanded the immediate reversal of the gasoline price hike to N617 per litre in its communiqué, which was released on Monday by the National Administrative Council (NAC). The communiqué also secured the release of its president.
The NAC further urged that the recently signed national minimum wage be put into effect immediately. In addition to the communiqué, the NLC is calling for the national reversal of the most recent increase in electricity rates.
BACKSORY
On Monday in Abuja, Department of State Services (DSS) agents detained NLC President Joe Ajaero. Ajaero was traveling to the UK to attend and give an address at the British Trade Union Congress (TUC) Congress, according to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
After his arrest, the National Administrative Council (NAC) of the NLC released a statement calling for his unconditional release by Monday at midnight. The statement also demanded that the recently signed national minimum wage be immediately implemented and that the price of gasoline be reversed to N617 a liter.
- Prior to his arrest, Ajaero had complied with a police invitation on August 28 to answer allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, and cybercrime. He was released the following day.
- Subsequently, Ajaero and NLC Secretary General Emmanuel Ugboaja were summoned to appear before the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Abuja on September 5 over charges of criminal intimidation, breach of public peace, and property damage.
- Ajaero, accompanied by prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), honoured the summons and later addressed NLC members regarding the ongoing issues.
- In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved a N70,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers, promising to review the law every three years. This decision followed extensive negotiations, during which the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) initially demanded N250,000 but eventually agreed to N70,000. However, months after its passage into law, implementation remains delayed.
NNPC Limited raised the price of gasoline at its stations to N855 per litre at the beginning of September. Retail outlets sold the fuel for between N865 and N1,100.
The NLC objected to the hike, pointing out that a crucial understanding reached during minimum wage talks was that the N70,000 wage would only be approved if gasoline prices remained elevated.
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