The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has shared his experience while in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies.
Following his arrest and detention, the DSS confiscated Ajaero’s phones and international passport. However, Ajaero confirmed on Tuesday that his belongings had been returned to him.
Describing his ordeal, Ajaero explained that it seemed as though the DSS had detained him on behalf of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Police. He noted that IRT operatives came to interrogate him and took his statement while he was in custody.
‘’The DSS also interrogated me and took my statement. I do not know why they have to embarrass me publicly like that.
“The same IRT operatives in whose office we were on August 29, 2024, alongside Mr Femi Falana, came and asked the same questions I was asked in the previous meeting with them.
“They asked about the operator of the Iva Valley Bookshop on the second floor of NLC secretariat building.
“They asked me whether we had communicated on the phone, whether he (the Iva Valley operator) communicated with me in writing and so on.
‘’They also asked if I knew the protesters (#EndBadGovernance or #Endhunger), especially Eleojo Opaluwa, a staff of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE. I told them I knew him because I employed him at NUEE.
“They equally asked about the Labour Party, LP, whether we are running the party. I told them we do not run the Labour Party, but that we are a trustee of the party.
“I also told them that the Labour Party they see today was founded when Adams Oshiomhole was President of NLC.
“Also, they asked about the issue of Air Peace which we had settled since last year.
“It is like the security agents are searching for evidence on how and what to nail us with. That is why they have continued to embarrass, persecute, intimidate and do whatever they liked to cow us,” he narrated.