From Victor Osula, Abuja
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) began converging at the NLC Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, ahead of a nationwide protest aimed at drawing attention to the worsening state of insecurity across the country.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was among the early arrivals at the secretariat, joined by leaders of various labour unions and representatives of civil society organisations, underscoring broad-based support for the protest.
Also present were activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and members of the Revolution Now Movement, who joined the action in solidarity with organised labour.
Speaking to journalists at the venue, Sowore said Nigeria was facing a deepening security crisis, accusing the Federal Government of failing in its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.
“For the civil society, the country is bleeding, and the bleeding must stop immediately. Nigeria’s leadership has failed to protect Nigerians at this time”, he said.
He lamented the increasing wave of kidnappings across the country, noting that citizens were no longer safe even in places of worship, regardless of religious affiliation.
“People are getting kidnapped from places of worship, whether you’re a Muslim or a Christian. We’ve over 250 kids still in captivity in Niger State, and everybody is behaving as if it’s normal, and everybody is moving on”, Sowore stated.
The activist also expressed concern over reports of Nigerian security personnel being captured abroad, warning that the nation’s security architecture appeared to be on the brink of collapse.
“We even have our soldiers, members of the air force, captured by Burkina Faso, and it looks like everything has broken down irretrievably. We have a duty to keep mobilising Nigerians to say, Enough is enough”, he added.
Meanwhile, security was visibly tightened around the NLC Secretariat, with operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Department of State Services (DSS) deployed to maintain order as the protest gathered momentum.
