Labour petitions Senate over detention of officials
From Segun Ayeoyenikan, Abuja
THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has formally protested to the Senate over what it described as "illegal arrest and detention" of its parliamentary liaison officer, Mr. Benson Upah and another worker, Mr. Moses Umar by men of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) attached to the National Assembly.
The NLC also demanded an apology from DSS over the alleged illegal arrest.
A fortnight ago, the two officials were arrested and detained at the basement of the National Assembly and later at the headquarters of the (DSS) while handbills denouncing the proposed Labour bill, which they had on them were confiscated. They were, however, released the next day.
The protest was contained in a letter sent at the weekend to the Senate President Chief Adolphous Wabara, which was also made available to journalists in Abuja.
Signed by NLC's Acting General Secretary Owei Lakemfa, the union asked the Senate to compel the authorities of the DSS to publicly tender an apology to the NLC, while all the union's seized materials should be returned to it.
The statement by the NLC described the action carried out right at the domain of the National Assembly by the DSS as "an act amounting to the desecrating of the very essence of collective democratic values".
The NLC held that as an institution, it had always stood in defence of the principles of democracy. "So an attempt by men of the DSS to unlawfully detain our men was an assault on both the fundamental human rights of the staff and the institution of the NLC.
"We demand an unconditional public apology from the DSS to the arrested members of the NLC for their illegal action, but especially for the illegal action, humiliation, trauma, loss and privations suffered by our staff while in their custody. We demand that the DSS should return the seized properties," the letter added.
While urging the legislators to prevail on the DSS, it also reminded the authorities concerned that the institution of the National Assembly was supposed to be a bastion of democracy where all manner and shades of opinion should be expressed without fear or intimidation by the citizens.
