The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its affiliates to shut down the economy if its president Joe Ajaero is arrested.
This comes after the police on Monday asked Ajaero to come to its headquarters the following day for questioning over alleged terrorism financing among others.
The NLC convened an emergency national executive council meeting at the Labour House and resolved to write to the police for extension of time to enable it consult with its lawyers.
Briefing workers at the Labour House on Tuesday, NLC deputy president Kabiru Sani said that if the police refuse the request for extension of time and arrest Ajaero, workers should immediately shut down the economy.
He said, “At the end of the meeting, we reached some certain resolutions. Part of the resolutions is that, as a committed labour centre that we agreed or that we abide by the rule of law and due process.
“We will honor the invitation of the Nigerian police, because we are not a faceless organisation, but we believe that we need an extension of time, after consultation with our lawyers, because this invitation was extended to the congress president yesterday and asked to report at the police by 10am today.
“So we are already working with our lawyers to look for extension of time, but this does not legitimise the charges by the Nigerian police to the congress leadership.
“Secondly, we resolve that in an event our congress president was arrested or detained at any moment, we put our affiliate on red alert to mobilise our membership across the country, that all workers in this country should down tool their services.
“This is the resolution because comrades, this organisation belongs to all of us, therefore we should do everything possible to safeguard the safety of this organisation.”
