ATTACK BY THUGS: NLC demands arrest of El-Rufai’s aide, lambasts police

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the arrest and prosecution of Mouktar Maigamo, a Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Kaduna State’s Governor Nasir El-Rufai, for allegedly spearheading thugs that attacked workers during the union’s protest in the state last Thursday.

The union equally condemned the security agencies for preventing several union leaders and workers from entering Kaduna city, accusing them of occupying all the entry points into the state with heavily armed security agents.

According to the union, the actions of the security agents, which it said was at the behest of the governor, clearly violated the fundamental rights of workers to free movement.

This was contained in a statement the general secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson signed and released on Friday.

He said, “We have been reliably informed that the thugs who were sent to attack workers during our mass protest in Kaduna on Thursday were led by the Special Assistant to the Governor of Kaduna State on Public Affairs, Mouktar Maigamo who was seen among the machetes wielding hoodlums as they moved towards the secretariat of the State Council of Nigeria Labour Congress in Kaduna.

“Though we have also been reliably informed that 10 of the hoodlums were arrested, we insist that the special assistant must also be arrested. All those arrested must be prosecuted by security agencies.

“We condemn the security agencies for preventing several union leaders and workers from entering Kaduna city as all the entry points were occupied by heavily armed security agents. The actions of the security agents, ostensibly at the behest of the governor, are clear violations of the fundamental rights of workers, like every other Nigerian, to free movement.

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“Before the mass protests, we had informed all security agencies especially the police and Department of State Security and what we expected of them was the provision of adequate coverage and security for the protection of workers participating in the procession and not the prevention of labour leaders and workers into Kaduna city,” the statement partly read.

NLC had defied threats by both the police and the state government to protest against Governor El-Rufai’s alleged sack of 36,000 workers in the state, a development the union said was cruel and has nothing to do with competency.

 

 

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