The police commissioner in Delta, Olufemi Abaniwonda, has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress to allow due process to prevail over the invitation of its president by the police.
Mr Abaniwonda made the call on Thursday when the Delta chapter of NLC held a protest in solidarity with its president, Joe Ajaero, at the police headquarters in Asaba.
The protest was led by NLC’s first vice-chairman in Delta, Ziko Okwudi.
Mr Ajaero, who was recently invited by the police over an alleged involvement in terrorism, honoured the invitation in Abuja on Thursday.
The police chief said Mr Ajaero’s invitation was purely interactive to aid police investigation into the allegation.
However, the police commissioner commended the NLC in Delta for conducting the solidarity protest peacefully and urged them to remain peaceful and law-abiding.
He said the federal government was not out to intimidate the NLC and its leadership, as some quarters perceived. Rather, he said the government would continue to work with labour for the betterment of the nation at large.
The NLC’s first vice-chairman in Delta expressed the union’s disappointment over its president’s current ordeal.
Mr Okwudi said NLC viewed the incident as an attack on the labour movement in Nigeria.
“We have come here today in solidarity with our national president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who is being hunted by the authorities over alleged involvement in terrorism. You know that labour will never get itself involved with any act of terrorism.
“It is unfortunate that when they want to hang a dog, they first give it a bad name to perfect the plan, but we will never allow that to happen. As members of the NLC, we remain in solidarity with our president because injury to one is an injury to all,” Mr Okwudi said.
Reiterating NLC’s commitment to the welfare of the citizens, he urged the government to tread with caution over the allegation against their president.
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