Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, announced on Wednesday that some suspected political thugs who brutalized the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, had been detained.
Platinum Times remembers that the NLC president was attacked on November 1 in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, during a demonstration over unpaid wages.
The National Labor Council (NLC) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have called a statewide strike, seeking the arrest of the suspected thugs and their backers.
Following the start of the nationwide strike, which has slowed economic activity in some parts of the country, Ribadu, in a statement signed by the Head of Strategic Communications in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari U Mijinyawa, urged organized labor to call a halt to the strike.
He stated that several arrests had been made in connection with the NLC president’s brutalization and promised that the outcome of the inquiry will be made public.
The statement reads partly,
“The NSA is particularly worried about the implications of the strike action on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians and its potential impact on economic security and other strategic national interests.
“The NSA regrets the incident and condemns it in its entirety as it was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration.
“The Federal Government will never condone such an act.
“As a fallout of the incident, relevant authorities were directed to conduct thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault and bring to book the culprits.
“Available update indicates that some arrests have already been made in this regard. The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.”