Nigerian Security Agents Arrest Top Labour Leader Amid Fuel Price Protests and Government Criticism
On Monday, Nigeria’s top domestic security agency apprehended a prominent labor leader, according to his union, just days after he urged the government to reverse a recent fuel price increase.
In response to the rising cost of living in Nigeria, labor unions recently halted the national grid for a day, disrupted domestic flights, and closed government offices.
Joe Ajaero, the head of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was detained at Abuja airport while en route to the United Kingdom, as confirmed by NLC spokesperson Benson Upah.
The NLC, a federation of numerous unions with a vast membership that includes civil servants, teachers, oil sector employees, and transportation workers, represents a broad spectrum of the workforce.
Upah condemned Ajaero’s detention as an “outrageous act of intimidation” and entirely unjustifiable under Nigerian law.
The NLC reported that the Department of State Security (DSS), responsible for managing domestic security threats, arrested Ajaero shortly after he criticized the government for increasing petrol prices and announced plans for a potential strike.
Ajaero, the leader of Nigeria’s largest labor union, also accused the government of suppressing legitimate dissent.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is experiencing its most severe cost-of-living crisis in years, with inflation surpassing 30 percent and the naira significantly devalued.
Since taking office last year, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has removed a costly fuel subsidy and devalued the naira, reforms that analysts believe will stimulate the economy and attract investment.
However, in the short term, Nigerians have faced skyrocketing fuel prices and inflation reaching a three-decade high.
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Recently, the state oil company NNPCL raised petrol prices by about 40 percent, acknowledging its substantial debt.
The NLC has been critical of Tinubu’s policies for months and has staged strikes at least twice this year, though with limited impact.
On Monday, the rights group Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP), which has filed lawsuits against the government, reported that DSS agents also occupied their Abuja office, seeking to meet with their directors.
Amnesty International criticized the government’s actions, accusing Tinubu’s administration of “extreme repression” to silence dissent.
The DSS and the presidency have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Last month, the Nigeria Police Force summoned Ajaero for questioning on charges including “Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion, and Cybercrime,” later narrowing it down to “criminal intimidation.”
Former Lagos Governor Tinubu has vowed to bring “Renewed Hope” to Nigeria, a major oil producer and one of Africa’s largest economies.
Nigerian Security Agents Arrest Top Labour Leader Amid Fuel Price Protests and Government Criticism
