Nigeria soiling her image – NLC says, calls for immediate release of Sowore
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticised the repeated arrest and detention of activist and Sahara Reporters founder, Omoyele Sowore, describing the move as damaging to the country’s global standing.
Sowore had visited the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday to honour a summons from the inspector-general of police (IGP) monitoring unit over a petition. However, he was detained upon arrival and remained in custody as of that day.
By Thursday, the former presidential candidate alleged that police officers had broken his arm while in detention.
In a statement released on Friday, NLC president Joe Ajaero said reports of injuries sustained during Sowore’s latest arrest made the situation even more disturbing. He argued that if Sowore had wronged any political figure or breached the law, due process should be followed instead of subjecting him to harassment.
The labour leader also questioned the frequency of Sowore’s arrests this year and reminded authorities that freedom of speech and association are constitutional rights that must be upheld without exception.
“The NLC warns that silence in the face of such repression is complicity. If the state can arbitrarily detain Sowore today, no journalist, no trade unionist, no activist, and no ordinary citizen is safe tomorrow,” the statement reads.
“We cannot allow Nigeria to slide back into the dark days of dictatorship, where fear replaces freedom and dissent is met with brute force.
“Such behaviour soils the government’s image before its citizens and the international community when it acts in a way that suggests it is above the law.
“We are duty-bound not only to alert the nation to the inherent dangers of the government breaching these rights but also to point out the consequences of such breaches.
“Government, like all other citizens, should be law-abiding at all times, not only when it suits them.”
Ajaero described Sowore as a “moral compass” whose treatment by the state should not be trivialised, irrespective of differing opinions about him.
He demanded Sowore’s immediate and unconditional release, an end to the intimidation of activists, and unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
The NLC president also emphasised the need for full enforcement of constitutional guarantees protecting free expression and peaceful protest.
Sowore’s recent clashes with the police follow his outspoken criticism of the extension of IGP Kayode Egbetokun’s tenure and the inadequate welfare of retired police personnel.
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