Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, is set to be flown abroad for medical treatment following the injuries he sustained from being brutalized by thugs in Owerri, Imo State, on Wednesday. 

Ajaero had traveled to Owerri on Wednesday, November 1, to rally Imo workers for a planned protest against alleged infringements on the rights and privileges of workers by the state government. The initially peaceful protest escalated into violence as reports emerged of the emergence of alleged thugs who targeted the protesters and labour leaders. The thugs are suspected to have been sponsored by the state government.

According to Benson Upah, the NLC Publicity Secretary, speaking to The Nation on Thursday, Ajaero’s injuries, incurred during the scuffle, necessitated medical attention beyond the capacity of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Owerri.

Meanwhile, labour leaders have called on security agencies to fish out the thugs who attacked Ajaero and his team in the southeast state.