TheCable

Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, has faulted claims by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) that it “rescued” Joe Ajaero, president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), as a mob bayed for his blood. 

On Wednesday, Ajaero was reportedly picked  up from the Imo council secretariat of the NLC in Owerri by heavily armed police officers.

The NLC said Ajaero was beaten and blindfolded immediately after he was arrested by security operatives.

Denying the arrest, the police command in Imo said the NLC president was taken into protective custody to avoid being lynched by a mob.

The police said the NLC president had a heated argument with some individuals who resisted the picketing of the airport in Imo.

In a statement, Falana questioned why the police allowed the “so-called miscreants” to “brutalise” the NLC president.

“By the way, why did the police officers not arrest the miscreants who brutalised the NLC President in their presence?” the human rights lawyer asked.

“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 have exposed the misleading version of the police.

“In fact, the pictures confirm that the miscreants are actually police personnel.

“It is disturbing that the police justified the action of the so called miscreants by saying that Comrade Ajaero has disobeyed the order of a court.

“Why did the police not allow the court to purge Comrade Ajaero of contempt of court?”