Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has faulted the account of the Nigerian Police Force on the arrest of the Nigerian Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero.
PUNCH METRO reported that the union leader was arrested in Imo State by the operatives of the state’s command.
While the NLC and the Trade Union Congress had stated that Ajaero was allegedly brutalised and abducted by the police and the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, the police stated that they did not arrest him but saved him from a mob attack.
The command stated this in a statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Okoye Henry.
“It is pertinent to state that the NLC President was in Owerri as part of arrangements of the Congress to mobilise workers for a mega protest rally in the state. In the course of their planning, it was reported that suggestions arose for the lockdown of some essential facilities particularly the airport which led to some workers and other individuals resisting the picketing process leading to scuffles and heated arguments and an eventual attack on the person of the president by a mob.
“Upon receiving this report, the Imo Police Command swiftly deployed police operatives to the scene where the Officer in Charge exercised his operational discretion by taking the NLC President into protective custody at the State Command Headquarters to ensure the protection of his life and that he was not lynched in the scuffle that followed,” the command stated.
While reacting, Falana, in a statement, faulted the police account, saying the security agency’s version of what transpired is full of loopholes.
“As soon as Comrade Ajaero showed up at the venue of the rally, he was surrounded by a team of police personnel led by the Commissioner of Police of Imo State.
“Why did the police allow Comrade Ajaero to be brutalised by the so-called miscreants? In other words, why did the police not protect him from the violent attack?
“By the way, why did the police officers not arrest the miscreants who brutalised the NLC President in their presence?
“So the police who witnessed the attack without making any arrest suddenly turned round to take the victim to the police clinic. The members of the public who decried the barbaric attack took pictures which exposed the misleading version of the police. In fact, the pictures confirm that the miscreants are actually police personnel!
“It is disturbing that the police justified the action of the so-called miscreants by saying that Comrade Ajaero has disobeyed the order of a court. Why did the police not allow the court to purge Comrade Ajaero of contempt of court?” he added.
