Vacate Rivers LGs Secretariats or We’ll Drive You Out” – Labour Issues Ultimatum to Police

In a bold move, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Rivers State have issued a stern warning to the police, demanding the immediate evacuation of their personnel from the premises of 23 local government secretariats across the state. The ultimatum was delivered following an emergency state administrative council meeting held at the NLC secretariat in Port Harcourt on Friday.

According to Alex Agwanwor, the NLC Chairman in Rivers State, the police’s occupation of the local government secretariats has been obstructing workers from fulfilling their duties, constituting a violation of their fundamental rights. Acknowledging the police’s efforts to maintain peace, Agwanwor urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to direct the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, to allow workers access to their offices for their legitimate tasks.

The labour groups emphasized that if their plea falls on deaf ears, they will not hesitate to mobilize their members to reclaim the rightful offices. They stressed that the police should be channeling their focus towards apprehending political thugs responsible for the chaos at the secretariats, rather than impeding the local government workers’ access to their workplaces.

The dispute originally erupted from clashes between supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and suspected thugs backing the local government Chairmen at various secretariats. Consequently, the police took over the facilities to control the situation, leading to the existing standoff between the authorities and the labour unions.

With tensions escalating and the ultimatum set, all eyes are now on the police response and the authorities’ decisions in navigating this complex territorial issue. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.