The Federal Government will never condone such an act, we’ve made arrests – NSA, Ribadu begs Labour over strike

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced the arrest of certain individuals suspected to be political thugs responsible for the assault on Joe Ajaero, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

This incident occurred in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, on November 1, during a protest by state workers over unpaid salaries. Following the attack, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) declared a nationwide strike, calling for the apprehension of the alleged thugs and those backing them.

In a statement by the Head of Strategic Communications in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari U Mijinyawa, Ribadu called on organized labor to suspend the ongoing nationwide strike. He verified that arrests had been conducted in connection with the assault on the NLC president and assured that the findings of the investigation would be disclosed to the public.

The statement reads partly, “The NSA is particularly worried about the implications of the strike action on the livelihood of ordinary Nigerians and its potential impact on economic security and other strategic national interests.

“The NSA regrets the incident and condemns it in its entirety as it was against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration.

“The Federal Government will never condone such an act.

“As a fallout of the incident, relevant authorities were directed to conduct thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the assault and bring to book the culprits.

“Available update indicates that some arrests have already been made in this regard. The outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.”