Human Right Activist, Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the inspector General of police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokum, to ensure that all police officers involved in mob action that lead to the hospitalisation of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, president, Joe Ajaero, to be arrested and prosecuted. Falana was reacting to the statement by the police concerning the crises that rocked Imo state that lead to Ajaero arrest by the police.
Accordingly, the police had denied arresting the NLC president during the union rally that took place in Imo state yesterday Wednesday, 1st Nov, 2023.
It was learned that Ajaero was only whisked away when miscreants hijacked the NLC Trade Union rally in Owerri.
However, Falana insisted that the explanation given by the police was tainted with loopholes, that need more explanation, saying how did police failed to arrest any of the miscreant as claimed.
Through a statement which partly reads, Falana said, “The police version of the brutalisation of the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajero is full of loopholes.
“Why did the police allow Comrade Ajero to be brutalised by the so-called miscreants? In other words, why did the police not protect him from the violent attack? Falana queried.
“So the police who witnessed the attack without making any arrest suddenly turned round to take the victim to the police clinic. The members of the public who decried the barbaric attack took pictures, which exposed the misleading version of the police.
“It is disturbing that the police justified the action of the so-called miscreants by saying that Comrade Ajero has disobeyed the order of a court. Why did the police not allow the purge Comrade Ajero of contempt of court?
“We call on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate and ensure that the police officers who brutalised the NLC President are prosecuted without any delay.”