The Department of State Services (DSS) has released the passport of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Daily Trust confirms.
According to labour leaders who spoke confidentially on Tuesday in Abuja, the secret police found nothing incriminating against Ajaero.
The release follows mounting pressure from various quarters. The DSS released Ajaero on bail on Monday, just minutes before the deadline set by the NLC.
Recent actions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration have drawn significant international concern, highlighting an increasingly authoritarian stance in Nigeria. The unlawful arrest of Joe Ajaero at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja has become a focal point of global criticism.
Ajaero, who was detained on Monday, had openly criticized the government’s decision to raise gasoline prices by 39% and threatened a strike if the increase was not reversed. His arrest was widely condemned at the World Trade Union Congress (TUC) 2024 event in the UK, where international labor unions and human rights organizations labeled it a gross violation of trade union freedoms.
Organizations such as the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) and other labor groups have criticized the Tinubu administration’s heavy-handed use of security agencies to suppress labor and civil society, warning of a shift towards tyranny. The All Workers Convergence group echoed these concerns, accusing the government of sliding towards despotism and dictatorship.
At the World TUC 2024 event, Ajaero’s arrest was seen as a blatant disregard for the rights and freedoms of trade unions, part of a broader pattern of intimidation under Tinubu’s leadership. The international community is closely monitoring the situation, urging the Nigerian government to uphold civil liberties and adhere to the rule of law.
