The Nigerian railway workers have threatened to go to war with the Imo State Government over the Wednesday attack on Mr. Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The workers under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NUR) said that they were ready to comply and fully participate in any action that may be directed by NLC in the coming days in response to the attack on Ajaero.
Barbaric attack
A statement on Thursday afternoon by the Secretary General, NUR, Comrade Segun Esan, described the attack, which was allegedly sponsored by the Imo State Government as barbaric, which should not be allowed to stand.
The statement also castigated the alleged kidnap and assault on Ajaero as unwarranted.
Esan, therefore, called on the Federal, Imo State governments and the Imo State Police Command to unravel all the sponsored thugs that perpetrated the assault on the number one worker in the country.
He insisted that the attack must not be allowed to stand to prevent recurrence in the future.
Lawful gathering
According to Esan, the gathering by the workers for the purpose of peacefully protesting against acts of injustice was a legitimate right that does not in any way contravene any known law or the constitution of Nigeria, especially when all due diligence had been followed and wondered about the heinous attack on the union leaders.
He also added that the attack was a pre-determined one.
- He said: “It therefore constitutes and arrant travesty of justice, rationality and democratic ethos for any person or group of persons, no matter how highly placed, to violate the fundamental human rights and collective sensibilities of the Nigerian workers by kidnapping, assaulting and eventually detaining Comrade Joe Ajaero in material particular and other law abiding Nigerian workers in general.
- “It is indeed a national shame that Ajaero who is the most significant person in the rank of Nigerian workers that embodies the very constitutional right of protest in this country could be treated like a common criminal only for trying to protect the rights, welfare, and wellbeing of the workers of Imo State who have been grossly violated and treated ignominiously by the government of Imo State.
- “We therefore call on the Federal Government, Imo State Government and, of course, the Imo State Police Command to unravel all the hands and the sponsored thugs that perpetrated this absurdity against Nigerian workers if similar heinous crime should be prevented from recurring in our polity. This also will assuage the Nigerian workers and bring back some level of trust and confidence in the Police and other national security apparati.”
The attack
Thugs had on Thursday descended on labour leaders and other protesters in Imo State, smashing vehicles, inflicting injuries and dispossessing handsets, money, ATM cards among other valuables from labour leaders and others that had gathered at the NLC state secretariat to begin the scheduled protest over pending labour issues.
The NLC President, other national leaders of NLC and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterpart, were at the State Secretariat in Owerri to begin the planned protest ahead of strike Thursday over backlog of unpaid salaries and allowances among others perceived sins of Imo State government against workers in the State.
Among alleged sins of the Imo State Government included refusal to implement previous agreements, outstanding salary arrears, unjust declaration of workers as ghost workers, destruction of NLC state secretariat, implementation of discriminatory pay and unpaid gratuity arrears.
Trouble however, started at about 8a.m on Wednesday when workers were trooping into the state secretariat of the NLC for the protest, when suddenly thugs in about 10 mini-buses armed with dangerous weapons stormed the secretariat and attacked labour leaders, workers and chased them away.
