The Delta Commissioner of Police (CP), Olufemi Abaniwonda, has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to allow due process to prevail over the invitation of its president by the police.
Abaniwonda made the call on Thursday when the Delta chapter of NLC held a protest in solidarity with its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, at the state police headquarters in Asaba.
The protest was led by NLC’s first Vice-Chairman in the state, Comrade Ziko Okwudi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ajaero, who was recently invited by the police over an alleged involvement in terrorism, honoured the invitation in Abuja on Thursday.
The CP said Ajaero’s invitation was purely interactive to aid police investigation into the allegation.
“As a security agency, what the police do is to investigate. No one is intimidating or witch-hunting the NLC president.
“It is in line with our duty to carry out investigations into allegations that we extended an invitation to the NLC president to come and tell us what he knows.
“No one has threatened him with arrest as the invitation is purely interactive; I can assure you.
“One thing is sure, in the final analysis, Nigerians will be told what the interaction is all about; so I want to appeal to labour not to pre-empt the process,” Abaniwonda said.
However, the CP commended the NLC in Delta for the peaceful manner it conducted the solidarity protest, urging them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
He said the Federal Government (FG) was not out to intimidate the NLC and its leadership, as perceived in some quarters.
Rather, he said the FG would continue to work with labour for the betterment of the nation at large.
NAN reports that the NLC members were earlier received by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr Aina Adesola.
Adesola urged them to remain peaceful, assuring that the FG and the police would never witch-hunt the labour union.
“I must first and foremost commend you for the manner you have conducted yourselves in this solidarity protest. The police remain your partners in progress in our nation.
“I can assure you that the authorities will do justice to your cause.
“The FG appreciates the contributions of labour to the growth of our nation,” said Adesola.
Earlier in his address, the NLC’s first Vice-Chairman in Delta expressed the disappointment of the union over the current ordeal of its president.
Okwudi said NLC viewed the incident as an attack on the labour movement in Nigeria.
“We have come here today in solidarity with our national president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who is being hunted by the authorities over alleged involvement in terrorism.
“You know that labour will never get itself involved with any act of terrorism.
“It is unfortunate that when they want to hang a dog, they first give it a bad name to perfect the plan, but we will never allow that to happen.
“As members of the NLC, we remain in solidarity with our president because injury to one is an injury to all,” Okwudi said.
Reiterating NLC’s commitment to the welfare of the citizens, he urged the FG to tread with caution over the allegation against their president. (NAN).
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