The Department of State Services (DSS) has returned Joe Ajaero’s passport, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), after pressure from unions.
The DSS initially confiscated Ajaero’s passport and phones following his arrest and several hours of detention in Abuja on Monday. They later released his phone but held onto his passport to prevent him from traveling.
Ajaero was arrested at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while en route to the UK for a Trade Union Congress conference. The NLC had to postpone a meeting scheduled for Tuesday morning to address his detention and is awaiting Ajaero’s call for further discussions on the matter.
The NLC has criticized the DSS for arresting Ajaero without a warrant, calling it a violation of legal and democratic principles. They condemned the detention as an act of intimidation and demanded Ajaero’s immediate release, denouncing the government’s actions as an infringement on democratic rights.
