Industrial unrest looms in the nation’s financial sector following the arrest of the President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and other Financial Institutions Employees, NUBIFIE, Comrade Danjuma Musa by the Nigeria Police over what the union “calls politically motivated arrest.” This came as United Labour Congress of Nigeria, ULC, and NUBIFIE did not only condemn the arrest, but claimed the arrest allegedly ordered by the Inspector General of Police – Idris Abubakar, was aimed to force NUBIFIE out of ULC.
ULC and NUBIFIE have already petitioned the Director General of the Department of State Services, DSS, urging him to intervene as the perceived unwarranted arrest had the potential of snowballing into unprecedented industrial turmoil I the country. Consequently, NUBIFIE has fixed an emergency meeting of its decisions making organs for tomorrow to take a decision on the arrest of its President.
Meanwhile, ULC and NUBIFIE in a joint statement, while condemning perceived continued harassment, intimidation and subsequent arrest of Comrade Musa by the Nigeria Police, declared that “this is unfortunately over intra-Union dispute which has been adjudicated and settled by the relevant courts but which the losing party who is not a member of the Union has decided to resurrect via the instrument of trumped up charge of threat to life and stealing.
In a the statement by Comrade Didi Adodo and Comrade Sheick Mohammed, General Secretary (ULC) and General Secretary (NUBIFIE), respectively, they claimed that the NUBIFIE president who was arrested on Thursday in Lagos, flown to Abuja on Friday and detained at the SARS Headquarters, saying “on May 11, 2017, “members of the Nigeria Police under the directive of the Inspector General of Police in a Gestapo style pounced on Comrade Danjuma while he was walking back to his place of work, manhandled and bundled him in a kidnap fashion to Area ‘F’ Ikeja, Lagos from where he was taken to Abuja May 12, 2017 on the orders of the Inspector General of Police. We are worried that the Inspector General of Police will allow his good office to be used to play the primordial game and meddle in Labour disputes as a decoy to put undue pressure on the Comrade President of NUBIFIE to denounce his allegiance to the ULC as part of earlier vow and boast of fighting ULC to submission.
“The Inspector General of Police must immediately without delay release Comrade Danjuma Musa from his present captivity and wash his hands-off a matter which its nature is clearly of Intra-Union conflicts. The United Labour Congress feels that is a clear abuse of office and the powers of the Inspector General of Police. It demeans that institution and casts serious odium upon its re-awakening edifices. ULC had thought that the IG of Police should have focused his energy more on fighting the growing incidences of crime under his watch, mobilizing his men and material to protect our Communities and Society rather than interfering in trade Union disputes which our laws have established institutions to tackle.
“We condemn the use of the Police as an instrument of perversion of justice and truncation of our time honoured and hallowed Industrial Relations sphere. The purchase and procurement through pecuniary or non-pecuniary means of the services of the Police especially that of the office of the IGP raises an ugly specter about the willingness of the Police to conform to the Spirit of the times which demands, CHANGE. It questions and truly does raise doubt in the minds of Nigerian Workers on the commitment of the Police to ensuring that Justice remains untainted and impartial under the watch of the present IGP.
“The Inspector General of Police must restrain himself and his operatives from being used by individuals and groups to settle personal scores on whatever guise ensuring that the Police Force remains transparent thus builds the needed trust and confidence amongst the diverse national stakeholders. The United Labour Congress of Nigeria (ULC) warns that it will not fold its arms and watch its members, officers and affiliates humiliated, harassed and intimidated into submission by anybody. We urge caution on the part of the Inspector General of Police and those feeding him with false information to avoid acts that would cause serious Industrial unrest in the Country and threaten our democracy.”
