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NLC Writes Senate over Arrest By SSS From Juliana Taiwo in Abuja Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has written the Senate formally protesting the arrest and detention of its staff as well as seizure of labour's materials by agents of the State Security Service (SSS). Labour described the actions of the security operatives as not only violation of labour's rights but also an affront to democracy. Labour's views were expressed by NLC's Acting General Secretary, Owei Lakamfa. The two NLC officers Parliamentary Liaison Officer, Mr. Benson Upah and Mr. Moses Umaru were arrested on July 28 by SSS led by the officer in charge of the National Assembly. They were however released the next day. Said Lakemfa in the letter: "The National Assembly as the temple of democracy symbolises our collective right to freedom and justice and any attempt to suppress this in any form, is a subversion of people's cherished expectations and democratic values. "In our estimation, turning the National assembly into another a detention camp does great violence not only to the National Assembly but also to our democracy," Owei stated. The Acting General Secretary stressed that NLC has history of fighting for and defending democracy and abhors acts of intimidation against its members or other citizens. "We demand that the National Assembly remains what it has already been, a bastion of democracy where all shades of opinions are freely and peacefully expressed and not an annex of the DSS. We demand that our free and unfettered access to elected members be not violated by anybody or institution under any name or intention. We demand that out right to fair hearing be respected as it is constitutionally guaranteed and not at the pleasure of anybody, least of all the DSS. "We demand an unconditional public apology from the DSS to the arrested NLC members for their illegal action but especially for the indignity, humiliation, trauma, loss and privations suffered by our members while in their custody. We demand that the DSS returns the seized NLC documents. We demand that the National Assembly be a safe and secure place, free from blackmail or intimidation of any sort," NLC stated. Who Are We ? | About THISDAYOnLine.com | THISDAY People | Contact Us © Copyright 2000 Leaders & Company Limited

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