Enact laws against workers’ brutality by police, NLC urges NASS 

The Ebonyi state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has called on state and National Assembly lawmakers to urgently enact law that will stipulate severe sanction on security agencies that arbitrarily attack workers on peaceful demonstration.

The state Chairman, Comrade Ikechukwu Nwafor, made the call during a prayer session to mark the national mourning in honour of Nasarawa state workers who were killed, with some injured by security agents during a rally last month.

Comrade Nwafor regretted that workers have continued to suffer in the hands of security agents during peaceful rallies to press home their demands for improved condition of service, citing the killing of two workers in Nassarawa and the unwarranted arrest and tear-gas of labour leaders in Ebonyi as instances.

He also regretted that salaries of workers in many states have not been paid by the governments with some states paying the workers half salaries.

‘’What happened to our two late colleagues may happen to any of us going by the wicked onslaught and dastardly unleashment of unprovoked attacks on workers by the Police especially when they gather to ask for their legitimate rights.

“The Police in Ebonyi state on May 19 (this year) rounded up harmless peaceful workers demonstrating against the hike in electricity tariff and fuel prices They used that opportunity to tear gas workers and brutally manhandle us as common criminals for no just cause. The state Chairman of Congress was hospitalized for close to two weeks from the injuries inflicted on him by the bullying of Police officers.

“We are here today to ask God to change the hearts of security agents, especially the Police who have quickly jettisoned their slogan ‘Police is your friend’ and have married ‘Police is your worst enemy’.

“We are also here to pray for God’s intervention in our cases as workers of Nigeria and Ebonyi State in particular, in the areas of salary cut, clamp down on workers’ promotion and unwarranted sacking of Ebonyi State Environmental Protection Agency (EBSEPA)’’, he said.

‘’The National and states Assemblies should as matter of urgency enact law against any security agent that brutalise workers. The law should prescribe prosecution and imprisonment of offenders”.