IN his reaction to the arrest of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, and invasion of Abuja office of the Social and Economic Rights Agenda (SERAP) by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS), former vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in last year’s general elections, Atiku Abubakar, charge President Bola Tinubu to focus security efforts on terrorists and bandits and not civil society.
In a statement on his X account, Atiku stated: “The level of oppressive control now imposed surpasses even the harshest days of military dictatorship.
“The escalating assault on civil society and the media by the Tinubu administration are profoundly disturbing. The level of oppressive control now imposed surpasses even the harshest days of military dictatorship.
“The recent arrest of Ajaero, en route to an official event, epitomises this regime’s relentless campaign to intimidate and subdue organised Labour.
“Just days prior, security forces detained a journalist, only to later claim it was a grievous error. What if the outcome had been fatal?
“Now, Tinubu’s regime extends its repressive grasp to encroach upon SERAP, an action that stands as a grave affront on our democratic values.
“This siege is anathema to the principles of freedom and justice.”
