Human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has questioned why the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has not shut down Nigeria over President Bola Tinubu government’s persistent harassment of its leaders.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), said this in a post on his X account while reacting to the arrest and detention of the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, by the Department of the State Services (DSS) on Monday.

While demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Ajaero, Sowore asked why NLC had not shut down the country.

He asked if there are some shady underground dealings NLC did which Tinubu’s government is using to blackmail its leaders.

He wrote, “I can’t understand the pact @NLCHeadquarters leaders had with @officialabat for them not to have shut down the damn country and side with the people. “Is it that they did some shady underground dealings they are being blackmailed with?”

Newsmen earlier reported that the DSS arrested Ajaero on Monday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Ajaero was about to board a flight to the United Kingdom for an official assignment when he was arrested by the secret police.

Ajaero had asked that the police invitation asking him and the NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, to come for questioning should be rescheduled.

He asked that the invitation should be moved from September 5, 2024 to September 25, 2024.

Counsel for the NLC, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), on Monday said he received confirmation from the police that Ajaero’s arrest by the DSS had nothing to do with his initial invitation by the police over alleged terrorism financing, among others.

The police had invited Ajaero and Ugboaja for questioning over allegations of terrorism financing, cybercrime, subversion, criminal conspiracy, and treasonable felony.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the questions asked from the labour leader by the Intelligence Response Team of the police force when he honoured the first invitation were brief.

Maxwell Opara, Deputy Lead Counsel for the NLC President, noted that upon their arrival at the facility, the police stated that the invitation’s purpose was to ask questions about a tenant occupying a shop within the Labour Secretariat.

He said the meeting was brief and the police did not mention anything relating to the terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, cybercrime and criminal conspiracy as contained in the invitation letter dated August 19, 2024, which was sent to Ajaero.