Amnesty International Nigeria has raised concerns over what it describes as a concerted effort by Nigerian authorities to undermine and intimidate the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its leadership.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Country Director Isa Sanusi condemned the fresh allegations of terrorism levelled against the NLC and its leaders, calling them a blatant attempt to cripple the union.
“Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the Nigerian authorities’ fresh attempts to further intimidate and harass the Nigerian Labour Congress through threats of arrest of its President Joe Ajaero,” Sanusi said.
He emphasized that the government’s actions violates international human rights laws, particularly the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the freedom of association. “Workers cannot be targeted for participating in trade union activities,” he added.
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Sanusi highlighted an alarming increase in attempts by the Nigerian government to silence the NLC, citing a series of incidents, including the assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero last November and a recent raid by the Nigeria Police on the NLC headquarters.
AI also criticized the threats and intimidation faced by the NLC leadership over legitimate strike action in February, describing these as clear signs of unlawful interference by the government.
“The Nigerian government is clearly and unlawfully interfering with the functioning of an independent workers union by targeting its leaders with baseless accusations that are gradually crippling the activities of the union,” Sanusi stated.
He urged the authorities to “immediately end this bizarre crackdown on leaders of the nation’s labour union,” emphasizing that the allegations against the NLC leadership are punitive measures aimed solely at deterring and punishing them for defending workers’ rights.
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