By Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Thursday, May 29, 2016, clashed with men of the state Police command during a rally over fuel hike and removal of petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government.
Chairman of the NLC, Ikechukwu Nwafor, and some other NLC members sustained various degrees of injuries and were later arrested by the police.
In her reaction, the state Commissioner of Police, Ibekwe Abdallah, explained that the labour leaders were organizing illegal meeting that could spark-off violence in the state for which reason the police dispersed them.
She explained that she received a letter from the labour leaders over their planned protest and that the letter was brought to her office the time the labour leaders were doing the rally.
The NLC Chairman, Nwafor, who was in Police custody alongside other labour leaders said, “We were on a peaceful rally over the fuel price increase and electricity tariff when we were attacked and it is a protest that is on-going all over the country and we notified the police of the protest.
“We gave them a letter on the protest. After I called the Commissioner of Police and she didn’t pick the call, we made sure that the letter was delivered to the Commissioner and then preceded on the peaceful rally.
‘‘We were marching peacefully when policemen came and attacked us. They tear-gassed and beat me up. Five Policemen bundled me and threw me into the Hilux van like stone or animal and that’s why I broke my hands and legs like this.
“As you can see, I can’t walk’ I am being assisted to walk and yet, the Police refused to allow me to go and have medical treatment’’, he said.
Meanwhile, workers in the state were seen on their duty post working when our Correspondent visited different government offices in the state.
