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Labour demands apology, medical care for injured NUEE chairman, probe of alleged military involvement
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the Edo State Government over the arrest and alleged brutalisation of electricity workers in Benin City, demanding an immediate apology, adequate medical care for the injured and an end to the use of force in industrial disputes. The congress also called on the Federal Government and military authorities to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
The NLC made its position known in a press statement at the weekend, and signed by its Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, following the release of William Uwumarogie, Edo State Chairman of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), and other union members arrested during a night raid on Thursday, October 22.
While welcoming their release, the congress expressed concern that Uwumarogie was hospitalised and receiving treatment for injuries allegedly sustained during the operation. It accused a combined team of military personnel and suspected thugs of carrying out the arrest and described the incident as an attack on legitimate trade union activities.
“This cowardly and Gestapo-style abduction, which took place at the BEDC Head Office on Akpakpava Road while our comrades were legitimately mounting guard in defence of their livelihoods, was never a lawful action,” the NLC said, alleging that the operation amounted to state-sponsored violence.
The labour centre accused the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo of creating a hostile environment for organised labour and dissenting voices. It argued that the alleged treatment of the union members raised serious concerns about workers’ rights, freedom of association and the rule of law. The allegations against the state government and security personnel were contained in the NLC statement.
The Congress said the incident arose from an industrial dispute involving NUEE, an affiliate of the NLC, which it maintained was engaged in legitimate industrial action to demand improved working conditions and employment terms for workers. Rather than resolve the dispute through dialogue and established industrial relations procedures, the congress alleged, the authorities resorted to intimidation and violence.
The NLC further linked the incident to what it described as a pattern of hostility towards organised labour in Edo State, citing the alleged continued occupation of the NLC state secretariat by the state government. According to the congress, the International Labour Organization (ILO) had previously expressed grave concern over the secretariat dispute, which it said reinforced fears about the protection of trade union rights in the state.
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Expressing further outrage, the NLC alleged that the Edo State Government had acted inconsistently by seeking more time to resolve industrial relations disputes during a meeting with labour representatives and the Federal Government in Abuja, while union members were allegedly being arrested in Benin City. It said the apparent contradiction raised questions about the government’s commitment to negotiations and peaceful dispute resolution.
“How can a state that pleaded for ‘small time’ to resolve its industrial relations disputes turn around, within hours, to launch a night raid on union members and leave their chairman hospitalised?” the congress asked, alleging that the government’s request for time was not made in good faith. It urged the Federal Government to take note of the claims and ensure that agreements reached during industrial negotiations were respected.
The congress subsequently issued a five-point demand to the Edo State Government, beginning with an immediate apology for the alleged violence against workers. It also called on the administration to desist from using force to handle industrial disputes, respect democratic principles and stop what it described as actions capable of damaging Nigeria’s international reputation.
The NLC further demanded an end to the alleged diversion of check-off dues belonging to workers and trade unions to unidentified persons. It called on the state government to ensure that Uwumarogie and all other injured workers received appropriate and adequate medical treatment at the government’s expense, adding that Governor Okpebholo would be held personally responsible for the chairman’s full recovery.
Turning to the military hierarchy, the congress urged senior officers to call their personnel to order and investigate the alleged involvement of soldiers in the operation. It maintained that deploying military personnel to arrest citizens carrying out legitimate trade union duties, if established, would undermine the military’s constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property. The NLC demanded that those responsible be identified and subjected to appropriate disciplinary action.
The congress also called on its affiliate unions and civil society allies to remain vigilant and prepare to defend workers’ rights against what it described as an emerging threat to organised labour in Edo State. Reaffirming its solidarity with NUEE, it invoked the labour movement’s longstanding principle that an injury to one worker is an injury to all, while recalling the state’s history of prominent labour leaders, including Pa Michael Imoudu and former NLC president Adams Oshiomhole.
The NLC’s demands place pressure on the Edo State Government, the Federal Government and the military authorities to respond to the allegations, clarify the circumstances surrounding the arrests and ensure that any wrongdoing is addressed through lawful procedures. The congress maintained that industrial disputes should be resolved through dialogue rather than intimidation, stressing that workers must be able to defend their interests without fear of violence.
The labour centre called for urgent action to prevent a further escalation of tensions, insisting that the release of the arrested workers should be followed by accountability, adequate medical care for the injured and concrete guarantees against a recurrence. “The NLC stands in total solidarity with NUEE. An injury to one is an injury to all,” Upah said, urging labour unions and civil society groups to remain united in defending workers’ rights and the rule of law.
