One killed as police open fire on protesting workers in Nasarawa
Police in Nasarawa state allegedly shot four workers, killing one and leaving three critically injured.
Ayuba Wabba, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) disclosed this to reporters at the Police Clinic in Lafia, capital of the state.
Wabba said the incident happened at the gate of the Government House, where the workers had gone to await the outcome of the NLC meeting with Tanko Al-Makura, governor of the state.
Workers in the state had embarked on an indefinite strike following the decision of the state government to slash their salary by 50 per cent.
Wabba said the dead victim was a staff of the state ministry of education, while the three others who sustained gunshot wounds included a staff of Doma local government council, the judicial service commission and a journalist with the Nigerian Newsday, a state-owned media outfit.
“The workers were unarmed and peacefully protesting for their rights only to be shot at by policemen stationed at the government house gate,” he said.
“We do not know what prompted them to shoot at unarmed workers who were waiting for us to finish discussion with the state government over the issue of their emoluments.
“They were attacked with maximum force. You can see one dead, two critically injured. They were very peaceful, unfortunately the police, under whatever pretence opened fire. It is most unfortunate.”
Wabba said when the NLC officials got wind of the incidence and approached Abubakar Bello, commissioner of police, he said there was no casualty.
The NLC boss called on the police authority to fish out those responsible for the shooting or face a nationwide protest by the congress.
“The rules of engagement in such a situation must be adhered to as everybody around the world has a right to protest. These workers have a right under the law,” he said.
Wabba appealed to workers to remain calm and law abiding as the national leadership would take up the issue and will inform them on the next line of action.
Reacting over the alleged shooting, Bello said he was yet to be briefed as he was attending the meeting between NLC and the state government.
He said the command would investigate to ascertain what really transpired.
Once again in a country run by the best of their self-acclaimed patriots, who turn their Citizens to shooting objects shamelessly, yet they expect to be adored by the same Citizens they endlessly brutalise. A country where the presidency and the should be competent state security agents outcompete themselves following such criminal incidents by either total denial, or claiming to have invoked the extant act in a non-war situation, or when so obvious, in tallying the number of dead bodies to the lowest side possible, as if a lesser number of dead bodies minimises the heinousness of such crime against its own Citizens instead of apprehending and bringing the culprits to book. What an abdication of responsibility if not an accomplice.