Department of State Services (DSS) has released the passport of Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), after his arrest on Monday.
Gatekeepers News reports that the secret police handed over the passport to Ajaero’s lawyer, Abubakar Marshall, from the Femi Falana chambers.
Ajaero was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja while trying to board a flight to the UK, where he was invited by the Britain’s Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The NLC spokesperson, Benson Upah, confirmed the release of the passport and expressed relief that Ajaero can now represent Nigerian workers’ interests at the international labour conference.
The labour union had demanded Ajaero’s unconditional release and alerted its affiliates and workers to remain vigilant after his arrest. The DSS released Ajaero on Monday night, and his passport was returned on Tuesday.
Ajaero had earlier been invited by the police for questioning over allegations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, and cybercrime, but he declined to honour the invitation until details of the allegations were provided. He eventually honoured the police invitation on August 29, accompanied by Falana and other labour leaders.
Falana clarified that Ajaero’s arrest on Monday was unrelated to the earlier police invitation. The NLC general secretary, Emma Ugboaja, was also invited by the police to appear on September 5.
