The recent arrest and detention of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, by the State Security Service (SSS), has triggered a public spat between the federal government and the labour movement.
Mr Ajaero, who was en route to the United Kingdom for the World Trade Union Congress (WTUC) conference, was arrested and detained for several hours by the secret police on Monday.
He was billed to address the global gathering of workers on behalf of Nigerian workers.
Several individuals and organisations, including Amnesty International (AI) and the TUC, joined the NLC to condemn the arrest and demand his release.
Mr Ajaero, who was seized by the operatives at 7 a.m., was released at about 11 p.m. on that day.
The incident, however, has led to claims and counterclaims between the government and the labour centre.
In a statement shortly after the arrest, the NLC described the development as a brazen act of lawlessness and intimidation as he (Ajaero)…