Police handed me over to thugs in Imo—Comrade Ajaero

President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, on Friday revealed that he was initially arrested by the police before the operatives handed him over to some suspected thugs for beating

While giving an account of how he was brutalized during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Ajaero said the traumatic experience he went through was so much that he can’t explain the kind of beating he got.

He said the thugs tied his hands and dragged him on the floor while they brutalized him.

“I can’t explain the beating I received. They tied my hands and dragged me on the floor like a common criminal. I am not even a card-carrying member of any political party as alleged,” he said.

It would be recalled that the NLC boss was tortured by thugs said to be loyal to Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma when he led state workers to commence a peaceful protest against their backlog of unpaid salaries, allowances and other sundry infractions.

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However, the Imo State Police Command has countered the claims that Ajaero was brutalized.

In a statement posted on the official X handle of the Nigerian Police, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Okoye Henry, had said the NLC President was not arrested but only taken into protective custody to save him from a mob attack.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged assault of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, by the force operatives in Imo State last week.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the development in a statement posted on the Force’s X platform, formerly Twitter, on Friday, said the probe was to ascertain the facts surrounding the incident.

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The statement read: “The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered investigations into the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault on the person of the President of the National Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero.

“Consequently, he has directed the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department to take over the matter with the primary objective of ascertaining the true facts surrounding the incident and to address any ambiguities that may exist as the Police has been inundated with different versions of the incident making investigations imperative to clear the conflicting accounts.

“The IGP therefore assures the public, most especially the leadership of the organised labour, that a thorough and unbiased inquiry will be conducted to provide clarifications while urging organised labour and the public to remain calm, as he has personally intervened to address the issues surrounding this incident.

“The investigation has commenced, and the Nigeria Police Force guarantees that it will be followed to a conclusive end, and appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.”