The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Rivers State have warned the police to vacate the premises of the 23 local government secretariats in the state immediately.
The ultimatum was issued at an emergency state administrative council meeting held at the NLC secretariat in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Friday.
Alex Agwanwor, the NLC Chairman in Rivers State, acknowledged the efforts of the police to maintain peace but stated that denying workers access to their offices is a violation of their fundamental rights.
He urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to instruct the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, to grant workers access to their offices to perform their legitimate duties.
The labour groups warned that if their appeal is ignored, they will mobilize their members to reclaim their offices.
They advised the police to focus on arresting political thugs who invaded various secretariats rather than restricting legitimate local government workers’ access to their offices.
The crisis began when loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and suspected thugs supporting the local government Chairmen clashed at various secretariats, resulting in the police taking over the facilities.