- The police, who were reportedly searching for sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protest, allegedly seized books and other items during the raid
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has clarified the reasons behind its recent search operation at Labour House, the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja.
According to reports from Daily Trust, masked officers, dressed in black shirts, stormed Labour House on Wednesday night. The police, who were reportedly searching for sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protest, allegedly seized books and other items during the raid.
The NLC condemned the operation, calling it unacceptable and issued an ultimatum to the police to return the confiscated books.
In a statement released on Friday, Force Spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi explained that the NLC was not the target of the operation. Instead, the police were pursuing an individual suspected of engaging in criminal activities who rented a shop within the Labour House complex.
“Detectives, armed with the appropriate legal authority, conducted an operation at the location, which turned out to be the NLC building,” Adejobi said.
He emphasized that the operation was specifically aimed at apprehending a foreign national implicated in various criminal activities across Nigeria and other African countries.
“We emphasize that this operation had no connection with the NLC, its Secretariat, staff, or leadership. The NLC Secretariat was not the focus of the operation, which was targeted at a rented shop within the building used by the suspect as a front for his criminal activities in Nigeria,” Adejobi added.
The NPF also called for the cooperation and support of the NLC leadership as the investigation continues, stressing that the suspect’s high-profile nature poses a significant security threat to Nigeria and other African nations, making the investigation crucial for the safety of all involved, including the NLC.