NLC demands probe of Abiodun Aremu’s death

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has mourned the death of Abiodun Aremu, a labour activist and secretary of the Joint Action Front (JAF), who died in a hit-and-run incident in Ogun state.

In a statement on Monday, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, described Aremu’s death as a “tragic and painful loss” to the civil society movement.

Ajaero said Aremu, popularly called “Aremson”, was killed on Sunday evening in Ifo, Ogun state.

He said the activist was a “committed revolutionary” who devoted his life to defending the rights of workers and the oppressed.

“Comrade Aremu was no ordinary man; he was a titan of the class struggle and an organic intellectual of the working people,” Ajaero said.

“He dedicated his life to the emancipation of the working class and the building of a just, egalitarian society.”

The NLC president said Aremu played a leading role in uniting the labour movement with broader civil society through platforms like the Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) and JAF.

He said Aremu understood the need for unity among workers and the masses to resist the “exploitative capitalist system”.

“Aremu was a true workers’ general who never wavered, never compromised, and never retreated,” Ajaero said.

He added that Aremu also established the Amilcar Cabral Institute of Ideological Studies to train young activists and promote socialist consciousness.

Through the institute, Ajaero said, the late activist inspired a generation of revolutionaries committed to international solidarity, including struggles for Western Sahara and Cuba.

The NLC president also called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Aremu’s death, describing it as “suspicious”.

“The circumstances of his death, a so-called ‘hit-and-run’, reek of a sinister pattern, reminiscent of the suspicious death of another valiant comrade, Patrick Naagbanton,” he said

“The NLC demands an immediate, transparent, and thorough investigation by the federal and state governments into this heinous act.

“We cannot, and will not, accept this as a mere accident. The Nigerian state must dispel the foul odour surrounding his death by apprehending the perpetrator and revealing the full truth. The working class deserves answers.”

Ajaero urged supporters to honour Aremu’s memory by recommitting to the cause of social justice and the liberation of the working class.

He added that a burial event will be held in Ifo, Ogun state, on October 23.