Ajaero was kidnapped on Wednesday from the NLC state council secretariat in Owerri, where he was waiting for colleagues to join him for a nonviolent protest rally, by the Imo State Police Command, purportedly acting on orders from the State Governor.
The labor unions claim that Ajaero was subjected to blindfolding, beatings, brutalization, humiliation, and sexual assault by the police. He was then taken to an undisclosed location where he continued to be beaten and tortured and was even threatened with death. Finally, Ajaero received "help" in the form of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who ordered his immediate release.
The labor union warned of an upcoming statewide strike scheduled to begin on Wednesday, November 8, should the government fail to accede to their demands in a statement released on Friday and signed by General Secretaries Emmanuel Ugboaja and Comrade Nuhu Toro.
The statement said, "We further resolved that NLC, TUC, and their affiliates will no longer guarantee industrial peace in Nigeria beginning Wednesday, November 8, 2023, while a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the two Labour Centers will meet to decide on the next course of action if the government fails to comply with any or all of the above-stated conditions."
The labor unions demanded that Imo State Commissioner of Police Cp. Ahmed Barde be immediately removed from office and that his alleged collusion and unprofessional behavior be investigated.
It said, "The Nigeria Police Force's Area Commander and all other men and officers in Owerri who the Police Commissioner used to oversee the abuse and humiliation of Comrade Ajaero and other workers be relieved of their positions and stripped of their commissions."
"Comrade Joe Ajaero should be arrested right once and tried for his crimes against workers and the President; Mr. Nwaneri Chinasa, Advisor on Special Duties, who oversaw the horror on workers and bestial cruelty meted out to Congress President.”
The unions demanded that Ajaero undergo a prompt, impartial, and independent expert medical evaluation to determine the full degree of his bodily and psychological injuries.
The NLC and TUC further sought the resolution of all unresolved labor relations issues, the return of their seized properties, and the treatment of other workers and journalists who had been subjected to brutal police tactics.
The unions also addressed claims that they had defied a court order, emphasizing the need for accountability and transparency regarding the circumstances surrounding the order. They also offered a list of grievances that prompted their planned nonviolent protest and demanded that these issues be resolved.
The government has consistently noted that Labour has broken agreements it willingly entered into, including the one from January 9, 2021; The non-payment of pensions and salary for more than 22 months—and in some cases, 44 months—the labeling of 11,000 diligent employees as "ghost workers" and the transfer of their earnings to other purposes; repeated damage to the Congress Secretariat without reason