President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero said, the Department of State Service investigators who arrested him on Monday were looking for evidence to nail him in Court.
The embattled Labour leader stated this on Wednesday, stressing that they were asking him on issues of about Labour Party which the former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi was the presidential candidate.
CAPITAL POST recalled that Ajaero’s arrest by the DSS sparked widespread outrage from the public and the organized labour union, which the Federal Government was issued 24 hours to release him unconditionally.
He was however, granted ‘administrative bail’ before 12.00am of Monday night which was the deadline issued the Federal Government.
It was gathered that his international passport, phones and other belongings seized from him by Security Agents at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja were returned to him.
In response to DSS interrogation on Labour Party, Ajaero said, the NLC does not run the Labour Party.
Describing his ordeal, Ajaero stated that it seemed like the DSS arrested him on behalf of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Police, as IRT operatives interrogated him and took his statement while he was in detention.
Ajaero expressed his confusion and distress over the public embarrassment he suffered, saying, “I do not know why they have to embarrass me publicly like that.”
Giving details of the questions he was asked, he said: “The same IRT operatives in whose office we were on August 29, 2024, alongside Mr Femi Falana, came and asked the same questions I was asked in the previous meeting with them.
“They asked about the operator of Iva Valley Bookshop on the second floor of NLC secretariat building.
“They asked me whether we had communicated on phone, whether he (the Iva Valley operator) communicated with me in writing and so on.”
He added, “They also asked if I know the protesters (#EndBadGovernance or #Endhunger), especially Eleojo Opaluwa, a staff of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE. I told them I knew him because I employed him at NUEE.
“They equally asked about the Labour Party, LP, whether we are running the party. I told them we do not run Labour Party, but that we are a trustee of the party.
“I also told them that the Labour Party they see today was founded when Adams Oshiomhole was President of NLC.
“Also, they asked about the issue of Air Peace which we had settled since last year.
“It is like the security agents are searching for evidence on how and what to nail us with. That is why they have continued to embarrass, persecute, intimidate and do whatever they liked to cow us.”
