Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has provided details regarding the invasion of its headquarters, Labour House in Abuja, by armed security operatives on Wednesday night.
In a statement released by NLC Head of Media and Public Relations, Benson Upah, all NLC staff are instructed to avoid the labour house until it confirms the absence of incriminating materials or harmful substances left by the intruding operatives.
The NLC urged the international community to recognize the decline of democratic principles in Nigeria and warned against the transformation into a police state.
The statement noted that the invasion occurred around 8:30 PM when a group of heavily armed security operatives entered the Labour House, which serves as the NLC's National Headquarters.
The operatives who consisted of some identified members of the Nigeria Police Force and others in plain clothes nabbed the security guard on duty and demanded access to the offices.
When the guard could not provide the keys, they forcibly entered and ransacked the bookshop, and seized hundreds of books and publications. The operatives claimed that they sought materials related to the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The NLC condemned this action as a decline in security operations and noted the absence of legal documentation authorizing the invasion during late hours.
The statement emphasized that even during past military rule, NLC secretariats had not faced such invasions.
The NLC's National Executive Council (NEC) had previously condemned the excessive force used against protesters and the mass arrests of perceived protest leaders.
The NEC criticized the use of 'treason' to label the protests and demanded moderation. The invasion of the Labour House by armed operatives shortly after these statements raised serious concerns about the state of democratic rights, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful protest.
