• Condemns Invasion of SERAP Office

• Safiu Kehinde

In the wake of the Department of State Service’s (DSS) arrest of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, the United Action Front of Civil Society Group has warned over mass resistance and civil disobedience.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the group’s National Secretary, Hamisu Santuraki, on Monday.

As contained in the statement, group frowned at the unlawful arrest of Ajaero which they labelled as ‘needless rascality’ while demanding for his immediate release.

They said the DSS should have emulated the Nigeria Police Force’s invitational approach rather than resorting to a dehumanizing tactics.

“We wish to state that the DSS has for no reason broken the civil and conventional practice earlier adopted by the police as touching security issues with well known high profile citizens and leaders of the people like the President of the NLC by by extending invitations to them rather than employing dehumanising tactics such as forceful abduction against them to embarrass and intimidate them like common criminals.

“For us in the organised civil society and pro democracy movement of Nigeria, the abduction of Ajaero today is brash and indecent on the part of Nigerian security operatives and should be condemned by all Nigerians. We therefore wish to unequivocally condemn this needless rascality employed by the DSS today against the President of the NLC which has already generated shockwaves through the length and breadth of the country and may lead to mass resistance and civil disobedience in the country if Ajaero is not released immediately by the State” the statement read.

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In the same vein, the civil society group also condemned the invasion of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project’s (SERAP) office in Abuja few moments after Ajaero’s arrest.

While demanding for Ajaero’s release, they charged operatives of the DSS to retreat from SERAP’s office to avoid undue collision with the Nigerian civil society.

“Similarly, we condemn in strongest terms, the crude invasion of the office of the Social Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, a major civil society platform in Nigeria this Monday morning in Abuja for no stated reasons by the same Operatives of the State. The illegal operations of Nigerian Security Operatives without arrest and search warrants can only depict Nigeria as a panicky and drowning Police State trying to gag every civil and democratic voice in the country.

“Finally, We demand the immediate release of the NLC President and retreat from the office of SERAP to avoid undue collision with the Nigerian civil society.

“However, as a major Pillar of the Labour and Civil Society Front, LCSFront, we wish to call on our allies nationwide to immediately commence national consultations on how best to halt the growing police State in Nigeria as evidenced by the massive repression of civil and democracy space by State Agent in Nigeria” The group added.