Comrade Uche Nwokoje is the Chairman of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Federal University of Technology, Owerri Branch. In this interview, he narrates how thugs and the police descended on him and the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and treated them like criminals. Excerpts:
You were among those who suffered torture in Imo State when Labour went to Owerri to embark on strike. Can you tell us your experience?
The experience is not what I would wish for my enemies or anybody because, actually we were in our own office, the state secretariat, we were not on the road, and what the police officers and some of the thugs brought by government did was not encouraging because I didn’t expect such treatment from them. I was arrested and humiliated and detained alongside the National President of the NLC for about six hours before I was released.
Some of my belongings were taken away from me forcefully, my phones, wrist watch, money, purse and other things and, till today, nobody has said anything about it. I believe, let it be the sacrifice we pay as Labour leaders. But I wish to let the world know that the act is very, very wrong, especially when it involves the National President of the NLC.
And I wonder what would have happened if the National President of the NLC was not there, if it was only the state council members like us, maybe, we would have been buried alive. If they could not have the fear to touch the National President of the NLC, I don’t think that there is anybody that is safe in this country. It is not only in Imo because I had expected the government, even other governors to condemn the act.
But, I know some other governors would want to buy that idea to attack workers or members of the NLC. But I think the NLC also needs to speak out and come out with a very strong statement in its communique. But in the communique it published after the incident, most of the details were not there, somebody like me, my name was not mentioned.
I was there at the time it happened but the communique only mentioned the National President “and others”. Who are the others? It was me and Ajaero, no other person apart from his driver and two Arise Television journalists. So, I don’t know why they were only writing in newspapers “Ajaero and others”. Who are the others? I was the only state council and the affiliate union member that was arrested with him.
So NLC should make a pronouncement and also know how to go about it. Let people know exactly those that were involved. When you say “with others”, that means some of us are “others”. We are no longer the state chairman of our union. It’s not encouraging.
Can you narrate how it happened?
Well, we were at the secretariat when some boys came with the police. They started shouting why should the National President of NLC be challenging the governor. And that they will bury him alive. We thought that the deputy commissioner of police that came was supposed to come and maybe rescue us or help. But he was the one giving orders and command to the police officers to join and beat us. I was handcuffed.
After a long time, I asked why was I being handcuffed. “I’m not a criminal”. What do they want? After about one hour, 30 minutes, the handcuffs were taken off my hands. So, there was nothing like a fight. Even in their press releases, they said there were Labour members that were not happy with Ajaero coming to Imo state. There was nothing like that. It was the people sent by the government alongside the police that did what happened.
Even though Ajaero came with some security personnel, some of the police officers had to run for their lives when they saw the police attacking us. A lot of people were also affected. But my own case is different because I was arrested with him. A lot of people misplaced their personal belongings like phones and were also injured. But what can we do? We believe that the NLC will do the needful.
Are you saying that the Labour leaders that went for the protest went with security agents and they were there when the Labour leaders were attacked?
The security men ran away, they were even attacked by the other policemen led by the deputy commissioner of police that came and asked why they were protecting us or gave them the power to protect us?
When you were arrested, where were you taken to and what happened there?
They took me in a Hilux van. They came in about 15 Hilux vans. They took me to the Commissioner of Police office and asked me to sit on the floor in front of the office. After some time, they brought Ajaero in a bus and I was blindfolded and when they removed the blindfold from my head, they now asked both of us and the two journalists to say our last prayer, that they didn’t know where they were taking us to.
Then they brought a Hummer bus. They forced us inside the bus and took us to a police station in Imo State, which they call the anti-kidnapping unit, the Tiger Base. They said we were hardened criminals; that we were going to pay for coming to disturb Uzodinma in Imo State. I was shouting and telling them, “I’m from Imo State, you know me, what wrong did I do?” They insisted that they must take us there.
They took us there and detained us for about five hours before they now decided to take us back to the Commissioner of Police office. They said that the Commissioner wanted to see us. That was when the Commissioner asked them to leave us, to go and that we should go and treat ourselves. So, it was quite unfortunate to hear the police say that they came to rescue us. I don’t know how you rescue someone and you beat the person, handcuff the person.
Can we know the kind of treatment they gave to you and the NLC President?
The treatment they gave to us, I don’t wish it for my enemy because even there, my shoes were removed. The NLC President was not wearing shirt, no belt, because they collected all those things. So, I don’t think there is any treatment worse than that. You take a Labour leader, someone who did not do anything, put behind the counter, and ask him to squat. I was squatting in a small corridor for more than four hours. There was no water. They insisted that we must enter the cell.
Do you mean that you were stripped naked?
No, I was not stripped naked but, you know, like the NLC President, he was only wearing jeans. They collected his shirt. It was when we were going back around four or five o’clock that somebody gave him slippers to wear.
Was there any threat to your life?
Yes, there was a threat to my life because initially I was alone. I was alone with about 50 police officers saying they would shoot me if I made an attempt to run, and they were hitting me with the gun and saying if I make any noise, they would kill me there and nothing would happen. They said that it was a special order. But I thank God they didn’t kill me.
Did you sustain any injury?
Yes, I sustained injury in my hand and in my back.
Now, what would you tell other Labour leaders based on your experience about what happened in Owerri?
What I would tell my colleagues is that Labour work is a call for service. And we also need to do it in a way to encourage others because, I think by now, I should be a hero because if I was not there with Ajaero, what would have happened to him.
And I also think if I had been killed, Labour would have continued its business. So Labour leaders in other states should encourage people like us by making a pronouncement, it should be a national issue. It’s not about money. I can get my phone back.
But let it be something to encourage one like this Labour Day, “honour him for standing firm and being a true Labour man who fights for the freedom of his people” because I had the opportunity to also run away and stay back the way others were doing or even go to government and collect money the way others were doing to sabotage the NLC.
But I refused, I had to stand with my people, and I will always stand with the NLC. But NLC should do the needful to recognise those who work, those who suffered because it’s going to four months now. I have not really seen any call, anything to even say “nna, how are you?” So I don’t know whether it’s because I’m not a member of the National Working Committee. But I think I didn’t do the wrong thing. I obeyed the National President and the national directive.
