The Department of State Services (DSS) has released Joe Ajaero, the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), after detaining him for 15 hours on Monday. Ajaero was arrested at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport around 7 am while on his way to the UK for a Trade Union Congress (TUC) event.
He was interrogated for hours about alleged terrorism financing involving British national Andrew Wynne and the #EndBadGovernance protests. While Ajaero was released late Monday night, his passport was confiscated by the DSS.
The NLC condemned his arrest, issuing a Tuesday midnight deadline for his release and putting affiliates and civil society groups on high alert. Global rights organizations like Amnesty International and prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana also demanded his immediate release. Ajaero had previously been arrested in Imo State during a protest over unpaid workers’ salaries in November.
