DSS Grants Bail To Nigeria Labour Congress President Joe Ajaero After Extended Detention

Presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore confirmed Monday night on social media that the Department of State Services (DSS) has granted bail to the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero.

"The fascist regime of @officialABAT has released the @NLCHeadquarters President Joe Ajaero from @OfficialDSSNG custody on bail. The @NLCHeadquarters must declare for #FearlessInOctober #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria #NoGoingBack," pro-democracy activist Sowore posted on X.

Ajaero was arrested Monday morning at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, while he was heading to the United Kingdom for an official engagement of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

A top source at the DSS said, "The NLC President has been released on administrative bail and he is on his way out," Sahara Reporters mentioned.

A lawyer from Femi Falana Chambers, Barrister Marshal Abubakar, helped the NLC president secure his bail.

Ahead of the release, NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs Benson Upah spoke about the detention, saying, "We wish to categorically state that Comrade Ajaero has been detained without any legal warrant or formal instrument. Joe Ajaero is not a fugitive."

"His detention is therefore a brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation as he has not been declared wanted by any law enforcement body. His detention is a brazen act of intimidation and completely unjustified under the laws of our nation."

He urged that stopping a lawful citizen from traveling and restricting their freedom was a serious violation of democratic and natural rights, noting that this action showed the extreme lawlessness of the Nigerian government and its agencies, who were trying to silence dissent as their economic policies cause great suffering and hardship.

Upah described these actions as undemocratic, immoral, and a direct attack on citizens' rights to express their views and carry out their activities legally.

Aside from NLC, Amnesty International also criticized the detention and demanded the unconditional release of Ajaero on Monday morning.

Amnesty International said it "strongly condemns the unlawful arrest of the President of Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero by the Department of State Services (DSS) today. The labor union leader must be immediately and unconditionally released," Premium Times reported.

The human rights organization added, "The arbitrary arrest of Joe Ajaero shows an escalating crackdown on human rights and restrictions on civic space by the government of President Bola Tinubu."