Dockworkers Union said the workers were erroneously arrested by operatives of the NDLEA while aboard a ship
By Uzor Odigbo
Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has advised the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to immediately release seventeen dockworkers currently under detention over narcotics-related issues aboard two vessels at the Lagos Seaports.
The dockworkers were arrested onboard MV Cha Yaree Naree and MV Karteria both at Greenview Development Nigeria Limited GDNL at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC)
In a statement signed by President General of MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, a copy made available to TheNiche on Monday, lamented that the dockworkers were reportedly on duty before their arrest on board the two ships which was allegedly laden with narcotics.
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The president-general said the union is worried as its members seem to be targeted for arrest whilst ship agents and consignees who are in possession of ship manifest were not interrogated let alone arrested.
Açcording to him, there was no information that the drugs were found on the workers, adding that: “Surprisingly, the poor workers who were neither the ship agents nor consignee of the vessel were arrested and kept incarcerated by the NDLEA since October 13, 2021, till date, without being released or charged to court as it would have been done in the tenet of the rule of law”
”Similarly, the union was also informed that on the 7th of November 2021, another four dockworkers who were on duty onboard MV Karteria were arrested by operatives of NDLEA for a bag said to be found within the vessel, the content was not disclosed.
“Again this bag that was found with undisclosed content was not in the possession of any of the innocent workers who were arrested and kept in detention for days without being released and charged to court. Their cell phones were also said to have been arrested by NDLEA operatives.”
He noted that the union is not in any way in support of either importation or peddling of hard drugs into the country but frowned at the continued harassment, intimidation, arrest and detention of members who have been kept incommunicado for over two weeks without being released or charged to court.
“Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria is informed of the arrest and continued detention of 13 dockworkers and crew by the national drug law and enforcement Agency (NDLEA) since the 13th of October,2021. The workers were reportedly arrested whilst on duty on board MV Cha Yaree Naree,” he said.