Expose attackers of Ajaero, railway workers demand, threaten showdown

Expose attackers of Ajaero, railway workers demand, threaten showdown

The Nigerian railway workers have threatened a war over the recent assault on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Joe Ajaero.

The NUR in a statement on Thursday called on the government and the police to expose the attackers or face a showdown.

Ajero along with some labour leaders was on Wednesday attacked by hoodlums suspected to be sponsored. He was beaten black and blue and later arrested by the police.

He was reportedly leading a workers’ protest in Owerri, Imo State capital, over alleged anti-labour activities of the state government when he was attacked.

Although the police later said Ajaero was only taken into protective custody and not arrested, the labour leader who had swollen face had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.

Action barbaric

Reacting to the incident, the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NUR) described the action as barbaric and demand immediate unearthing of those behind it.

The union in a statement on Thursday by its Secretary General, Comrade Segun Esan, alleged the attack was sponsored by the Imo State Government.

It said the assault on Ajaero was unwarranted, adding that railway workers were ready to fully participate in any action that might be directed by the NLC in the coming days in response to the attack.

Esan, therefore, called on the Federal Government, Imo State governments and the Imo State Police Command to unravel all the sponsored thugs that perpetrated the assault on the number one worker in the country.
He insisted that the attack must not be allowed to stand to prevent recurrence in the future.

The gathering lawful
According to Esan, the gathering by the workers for the purpose of peacefully protesting against acts of injustice was a legitimate right that does not in any way contravene any known law or the constitution of Nigeria, especially when all due diligence had been followed.

The NUR statement

He said, “It therefore constitutes and arrant travesty of justice, rationality and democratic ethos for any person or group of persons, no matter how highly placed, to violate the fundamental human rights and collective sensibilities of the Nigerian workers by kidnapping, assaulting and eventually detaining Comrade Joe Ajaero in material particular and other law abiding Nigerian workers in general.
“It is indeed a national shame that Ajaero who is the most significant person in the rank of Nigerian workers that embodies the very constitutional right of protest in this country could be treated like a common criminal only for trying to protect the rights, welfare, and wellbeing of the workers of Imo State who have been grossly violated and treated ignominiously by the government of Imo State.
“We therefore call on the Federal Government, Imo State Government and, of course, the Imo State Police Command to unravel all the hands and the sponsored thugs that perpetrated this absurdity against Nigerian workers if similar heinous crime should be prevented from recurring in our polity. This also will assuage the Nigerian workers and bring back some level of trust and confidence in the Police and other national security apparati.”

The attack
Thugs had on Thursday descended on labour leaders and other protesters in Imo State, smashing vehicles, inflicting injuries and dispossessing handsets, money, ATM cards among other valuables from labour leaders and others that had gathered at the NLC state secretariat to begin the scheduled protest over pending labour issues.

The NLC President, other national leaders of NLC and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, were at the State Secretariat in Owerri to begin the planned protest ahead of strike Thursday over backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances among others perceived sins of Imo State government against workers in the state.