SaharaReporters had in 2023 reported that Bamigboye, who is also the Chairman of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), had supported the struggle of casual workers, treated like slaves in Sumal Food in 2018 for decent pay and conditions, hence the use of the police and judiciary for persecution.
The Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR), an umbrella of Nigerian workers in Oyo State, has said that they will on Thursday picket the Magistrate Court 6 in Iyaganku area of Ibadan, the state capital in protest over the trial of its Oyo State Coordinator, Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye, popularly known as Abbey Trotsky, on trumped-up criminal charges.
The group said that Bamigboye will reappear on Thursday in connection with four-count trumped–up criminal charges of conspiracy to commit breach of public peace, unlawful assembly, assault and malicious damage levelled against him by the Nigeria Police at the instance of Sumal Food Limited in Ibadan.
SaharaReporters had in 2023 reported that Bamigboye, who is also the Chairman of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN), had supported the struggle of casual workers, treated like slaves in Sumal Food in 2018 for decent pay and conditions, hence the use of the police and judiciary for persecution.
The Chief Magistrate to whom the matter had been reassigned denied Bamigboye the right to continue to enjoy the previous bail conditions despite the application even after the police prosecutor informed the court that Bamigboye (Abbey Trotsky) had never been absent from the court since the matter started in 2019.
The magistrate rejected the application, claiming that the previous bail bond couldn’t be found in Bamigboye’s case file and that the matter was starting “de novo” (over again).
A fresh bail condition was later given after which the magistrate refused to sign the bond despite having been perfected, and an order to remand Bamigboye (Abbey Trotsky) at Agodi prison was given instead.
The only excuse given by the magistrate for not signing the bail bond was that the photocopy of the national ID presented by the surety was not clear enough.
However, the same bail bond was later approved following the intervention of the Oyo State NLC Chairman and members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
On Wednesday, CDWR called on Nigerians to join the protest at the court premises against casualization and other indecent labour practices in workplaces.
A member of the group and human rights activist, Francis Nwapa, announced, “Comrade Abbey Trotsky, the Oyo State coordinator of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights (CDWR), will again reappear at the Magistrate Court 6, Iyaganku, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday,
“This is in connection with four-count trumped–up criminal charges of conspiracy to commit breach of public peace, unlawful assembly, assault and malicious damage levelled against him by the Nigeria Police at the instance of Sumal Foods Ltd, Ibadan.
“The background to the Abbey Trotsky continuous persecution is because he (Abbey Trotsky) and other members of CDWR intervened in a peaceful protest of contract/casual workers of Sumal Food Limited against poor pay and working conditions that broke out in the company on 2nd and 3rd October 2018.
“We call on well meaning Nigerians to join us to protest at the court premises, on the 31st of October, 2024 to rededicate our commitment to the campaign against casualisation and other indecent labour practices in workplaces.”