Falana: Ajaero's arrest by the secret service is not related to the police invitation

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana says the arrest of his client Joe Ajaero, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had nothing to do with an earlier invitation from the Nigerian police.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Ajaero on Monday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja as he was about to board a flight to the United Kingdom.

On August 29, the NLC president accepted the police’s invitation for “a case of criminal conspiracy, terrorist financing, treason, subversion and cybercrime.”

Regarding his client's recent arrest, Falana said the secret police had not given any reason for Ajaero's arrest.

“The police invitation to Comrade Joe Ajaero was postponed last week. I have contacted the police authorities. The arrest is not related to the police invitation,” he said.

“Comrade Ajaero was on his way to London to attend the ongoing TUC conference when he was arrested by the SSS at the airport this morning. The SSS has not given any reason for the arrest.”

BACKGROUND

On August 19, police summoned Ajaero for questioning over “a case of criminal conspiracy, terrorist financing, treason, subversion and cybercrime.”

The letter, signed by Adamu Mu'azu, the deputy police commissioner, said Ajaero was expected at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) complex on August 20.

Mu'azu said that an arrest warrant would be issued against Ajaero if he did not accept the invitation.

Ajaero declined the invitation and demanded details of the allegations against him.

On August 7, police raided the NLC building in Abuja’s central business district.

The NLC said the agents who searched the building “claimed they were looking for inflammatory materials used in the #EndBadGovernance protests” that took place from August 1 to 10.

Afterwards, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun said that one of the masterminds of the Sudan conflict could be traced back to the NLC headquarters.

The IGP added that police tracked down the foreigner in a shop in Labour House and that officials did not search the entire Secretariat.

On August 29, some members of affiliated unions and union leaders from various states met at the Labour House to discuss Ajaero’s visit to the IRT.

Ajaero and human rights lawyer Femi Falana, along with other activists, then left the building for the police headquarters and returned a few hours later.

On August 30, the police sent another invitation to Ajaero and Emma Ugboaja, Secretary General of the NLC, for September 5.

An invitation letter signed by Ibitoye Alajide, the police commissioner in charge of the operations, said Ajaero and Ugboaja would have to answer questions on “alleged criminal intimidation, conduct likely to disturb public peace and malicious damage to property.”

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