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Group Condemns Arrest Oyo Of Union Leaders Protesting Privatization Of Schools

The Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights (CDWR) has condemned the arrest and detention of some prominent leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and activists in Oyo State since last Thursday.

A statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of CDWR, Chinedu Bosah, said that the organization demands immediate and unconditional freedom for those arrested last week.

The statement emphasised that the renewed attack on labour leaders reminds Nigerians of the dark period of the military dictatorship.

According to it, the union leaders and activists are presently locked up at the Agodi Prisons after they were arraigned at the Magistrate's Court on trumped-up charges.

"Their sin against the state government was because they are currently leading the resistance against the planned privatization of public schools.

"This has clearly shown the desperation of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi/All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Oyo State Government to impose all manners of anti-poor policies.

"No doubt the privatisation of some of the public schools is a systematic and gradual privatisation of public schools, an act that would deny poor children from accessing education.

"We, therefore, call on the leaders of NLC at the national level as well as Oyo State, Trade Union Congress (TUC), all pro-labour groups to mobilise for sustained mass actions towards forcing the state government to free all incarcerated labour leaders and activists and also defeat this wicked and anti-poor privatisation of some public schools."

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters reliably gathered that labour leaders in the state will today storm the premises of an Ibadan Magistrate's Court in solidarity with their colleagues being prosecuted by police for unlawful assembly and assault on Secretary to the State Government (SSG).


However, some sources in the police revealed that many anti-riot police personnel have been deployed to forestall any breakdown of law and order around the court.

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