Human rights group Amnesty International has condemned the invasion of the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by security operatives.
The Country Director of Amnesty International, Isa Sanusi, in a statement on Thursday, said the raid, which occurred on Wednesday night, was a “sinister and calculated attack” designed to intimidate the labour union.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the brazen invasion of the headquarters of Nigeria Labour Congress by a contingent of armed security personnel. The chilling raid last night appears to be part of a sinister and calculated attack designed to intimidate the labour union,” Sanusi said.
During the raid, security personnel ransacked the NLC bookshop, confiscating materials and claiming they were used to incite and organize recent protests.
Sanusi expressed concern about the safety of NLC officials, stating, “We are deeply concerned about the safety of NLC officials. Under international human rights law and standards, trade unions cannot be targeted for their participating activities.”
Amnesty International emphasised that Nigeria has an obligation to respect and protect the rights of trade unions under international human rights law.
“Under international human rights law, Nigeria has an obligation not only to respect the rights of trade unions but also to protect these rights from abuse,” Sanusi said.
The raid on the NLC headquarters has sparked fears of a broader crackdown on labour activism in Nigeria.
The NLC has been at the forefront of recent protests against government policies, and the raid is seen as an attempt to silence the union’s voice.
Meanwhile, the NLC has decried the invasion of its headquarters, stating that it portends an ominous sign “for democratic rights, freedom of speech and association, and the unimpeachable right of citizens to protest peacefully on any issue they feel strongly about”.
NLC’s head of Media and Public Relations, Benson Upah, said in a statement that heavily armed security operatives raided its headquarters around 8:30pm on Wednesday. He said the operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the NLC “in the ungodly hours of the night”.
“They broke in and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor carting away hundreds of books and other publications,” Upah said.
“The invading troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance Protests.
“The NLC is not immediately able to ascertain all the things taken away from its offices,” he said.
“Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy,” he said.
