Demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the police personnel from the CDHR’s national headquarters, the NLC in a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, expressed deep concern over a growing trend by the police to abridge the fundamental rights of citizens and organisations.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the police siege at the National headquarters of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) at Ikeja, Lagos, describing it as an unwarranted intrusion and attack on the fundamental right of the civic organisation to conduct its lawful businesses peacefully.
Demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the police personnel from the CDHR’s national headquarters, the NLC in a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, expressed deep concern over a growing trend by the police to abridge the fundamental rights of citizens and organisations.
The labour union said that the police and those on whose orders they are acting cannot cow Nigerians into submission, stressing that their powers do not extend to abridging the rights of the citizenry.
The NLC said, “Given the fact that the CDHR neither invited the police nor lodged a report of a threat, we consider the police deployment an unwarranted intrusion and an attack on the right of CDHR to conduct its lawful businesses peacefully.
“Accordingly, we urge the police to pull out of the precincts of CDHR immediately and unconditionally. We are alarmed by a growing trend by the police to abridge the fundamental rights of citizens and organisations.
“From alleged senseless killing of protesting citizens during the protests against hunger and bad governance, the police raided and carted away valuables from the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday night.
“That three days later they are at the premises of another civil society organisation is suggestive of a calculated dark agenda.
“We would want to remind the police and those on whose orders they are acting that they cannot cow Nigerians into submission....their powers do not extend to abridging the rights of the citizenry.
“We would also want to remind them that we are in a democracy and not a police state.
“We would similarly want to caution against starting an agenda that will be undemocratic. Let them pull out now.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported that a large contingent of security personnel, comprising agents from the Department of State Services (DSS) and police officers, laid siege at the CDHR office in Ikeja, Lagos State.
https://saharareporters.com/2024/08/09/breaking-nigerian-authorities-clamp-down-cdhr-endbadgovernance-event-surround-lagos
The security operatives laid siege to the office known as Rights House, at 43, Adeniyi Jones Avenue, off Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja.
A heavy security presence, comprising both uniformed and plainclothes operatives, was deployed to the office on Friday ahead of a public symposium and candlelight procession in honour of those who lost their lives due to bad governance in Nigeria.
The event is scheduled for the ninth day of the #EndBadGovernance protests movement and aims to pay tribute to individuals who lost their lives due to poor governance in Nigeria.
