NLC President Joe Ajaero Recounts Harrowing Experience in Police Custody: “God Must’ve Taken Extra Time to Create Me”

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has disclosed the distressing account of his time spent in police custody following his arrest in Owerri, Imo State.

Ajaero, visibly shaken by his ordeal, has raised eyebrows with his statement that it seemed as though God took extra time in creating him, owing to the severe beating he endured while detained.

This incident stemmed from the disruption of an NLC protest in the Imo State capital, Owerri. The NLC president was in town to mobilize workers from Imo State for a massive protest rally, denouncing alleged violations and abuses of workers’ rights and privileges by the state government.

The protest, initially peaceful, took a tumultuous turn as violence erupted, prompting the intervention of the Nigeria Police Force, who subsequently apprehended Ajaero.

Once he was released from custody, Ajaero shared the alarming details of his detention, which included threats of legal action. In his own words, “If you say interim order, it elapses with time; if the court issues another one, then it’s a different thing. I told them interim order ends within one week or two; they now kept the letter and told me they can prosecute me. I told them it’s the same court that can institute a contempt charge; you just can’t start prosecuting me. They beat me; God must have taken extra time to create me because of the kind of beating I received.”

This revelation has sparked concerns and calls for an investigation into the treatment of the NLC president during his time in police custody. It remains to be seen how this incident will influence the ongoing discourse on labor rights and the treatment of protest organizers in Nigeria.