The Nigeria Labour Congress has engaged forensic experts to inspect its national secretariat in Abuja for any potential surveillance devices that may have been planted by the police.
According to The PUNCH, this move follows a recent police raid on the NLC headquarters on July 7.
During the late-night operation, police officers entered the building around 8:30 pm, detaining the security guards and demanding the keys to offices on the second floor.
NLC spokesperson Benson Upah described the scene, “The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts, presumably from the Department of State Services, and others on outright mufti, swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.”
The police later claimed that the raid was intended to uncover incriminating documents related to an international figure deemed a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
However, the NLC has disputed this justification and demanded the release of the detained personnel and the return of seized documents.
In response, the NLC has initiated a comprehensive forensic security audit of its headquarters.
National Assistant General Secretary Chris Onyeka explained, “The NLC, in its National Executive Council meeting, deliberated and agreed that there is a need to conduct a forensic security audit to ensure that the people were safe, and nothing was planted in its headquarters, among other things before they resume back to their offices. As a result of this, the NLC has initiated a thorough forensic security audit of the national secretariat. The security checks are being conducted by international experts, who have already begun working to secure the premises against any potential surveillance devices.”
Onyeka also criticized the police’s explanation for the raid, stating, “The NLC met in their National Executive Council meeting and demanded an apology from the Federal Government and the police which has not been offered till now.”
