NLC Outraged Over Protester Killings, Pledges Action to Defend Citizens’ Safety

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly condemned the killing of numerous protesters during the ongoing nationwide demonstrations against hunger and economic hardship, referring to the incident as a “massacre.”

In a statement released on Saturday, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero expressed grave concerns about the professionalism of the security personnel involved in the incident. Citing unconfirmed reports that estimate the death toll at over 40, the NLC warned that if the security forces continue what it described as “slaughter,” organized labor would be compelled to intervene to protect ordinary citizens.

The NLC’s statement, made available to news men, demanded that the officers responsible for the violence be held accountable. “Those with blood on their hands must be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action,” Ajaero stated. He further criticized the security forces, suggesting that if they had demonstrated the same level of “thoughtless brutal precision” against bandits and other criminals, Nigeria would be much safer.

As the protests against hunger, economic hardship, and bad governance continue, the NLC called for better crowd control measures in the coming days. The organization expressed concern that recent directives from the Inspector General of Police might be interpreted by some officers as a license to kill without justification.

“We will be closely monitoring the situation as it unfolds,” Ajaero said. “The police, as the lead agency responsible for internal security, should not only set a good example but also serve as an inspiration to other services.”

Ajaero warned that if the police persist in their actions, they could create the very situation they are supposed to prevent. “If the police, in their self-righteousness, see this advice as meddling and continue their slaughter, we, as members of organized labor, will have no choice but to bear the moral burden of acting in defense of ordinary citizens,” he added.

The NLC emphasized that the ultimate solution to the protests lies with the government. Ajaero urged the government to engage in genuine negotiations with protest leaders, stressing that time is of the essence.

“As we stated in our messages on July 22nd and 23rd, the clearest path to a lasting solution is for the government to sit down with protest leaders and negotiate in good faith,” he said. “No one is impressed by the rhetoric of government officials or threats from the police or military. We are all Nigerians, after all.”

The full statement, entitled: “STOP THIS MASSACRE”, reads:

With unconfirmed reports putting casualties at 40+ in two days of managing the EndHunger protest across the country, we have sufficient reasons (backed up by reports and video clips) to call to question the professionalism of our security personnel as this represents nothing but MASSACRE of citizens.

Had the security personnel deployed the same thoughtless brutal precision against bandits or other criminals, our country would have been an Eldorado.

As the lead-agency in internal security management, the police bear the burden of this massacre.

Kaduna State police command under the watch of Compol Audu Ali Dabigi represents the worst-case scenario in which one of the fleeing protesters was heard on camera desperately appealing to deployed police personnel to not shoot until his voice was drowned by a hail of bullets with the resultant death of a protester on the spot and several injured.

In the same breadth, Edo State Police Command under the personal command of COMPOL Funsho Adegboroye represents the best in crowd management as he could be heard interacting and cajoling the protesters and almost effortlessly bringing them under control.

It might be convenient to argue that the two states do have different socio-cultural millieu, however, an incontestable truth common to both, and indeed, all the states, is that human life is sacred and should NEVER be taken.

We are deeply saddened by this wanton taking of life by trigger-happy police personnel.

In Asokoro, Abuja under the command of Compol Bennett Igweh, protesters were heard querying why the police were shelling or tear-gassing them as they were marching solemnly without breaking a twig.

One noticeable pattern was that once police personnel introduced violence, all hell broke loose in fulfilment of the credo that violence begets violence.

We pause to ask, what happened to all the years of training or experience? No lessons learnt or was this a case of loss of human values on an industrial scale? Don’t our police personnel watch their colleagues in other parts of the world manage equally challenging (if not worse) situations?

For a start, we demand that the cops with blood stains on their hands be fished out for appropriate disciplinary action. Ditto their commanders.

Secondly, adequate compensations should be paid to the families of casualties while government should be responsible for the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured.

Thirdly, all those arrested should be released immediately and unconditionally.

We commend NBA national leadership for directing its human rights committees across the cities to be vigilant. We urge them to see to it that no one is held against their will in connection with the protest.

On no account again should the police use live ammunition in managing protests no matter how difficult they get.

In the days ahead, we look forward to a better crowd control mechanism even as the new directive from the IGP would sound to some of the personnel as a license to kill without reason.

We would be monitoring closely as the situation unfolds. The police as the lead-agency vested with power and authority on issues of internal security should not only lead by (a good) example but an inspiration to other services.

However, if the police in self-righteousness consider this advice as meddlesomeness and persist in their slaughter, they will be unwittingly creating a situation they were supposed to help avert in the first place. And we as members of organised labour will be left with no choice than the moral burden to act in protection of ordinary citizens.

Finally, we do believe the ultimate solution lies with government, the decisions it takes, the compromises it is willing to make in the face of the genuine demands by the protesters.

As we had stated in our statements of July 22nd and 23rd, the clearest path to a lasting solution is for government to sit down with leaders of the protest and negotiate in good faith. Time is of essence as no one is impressed by the sophistry of government officials/hirelings or threats by the police or the military. We are all Nigerians, after all.

Comrade Joe Ajaero

President