The Nigeria Police Force says it raided the second floor of the Complex of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja last Wednesday in search of some incriminating documents to establish a case against an international “subversive” element who is a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday that the August 7, 2024 raid of the NLC Complex had a suspect housed by the labour union in one of its floors.
Adejobi said the second floor which has an office used by the suspect was raided, and not the 10th floor housing the NLC HQ.
“We recovered evidence to prove that the suspect is a threat to the nation, the man is a suspected subversive element,” Adejobi said.
Last Wednesday, the NLC said heavily armed security personnel stormed and raided its head office in the nation’s capital around 8:30 pm, and carted away documents.
The raid was condemned by local and international rights groups like Amnesty International, among others.
But the Force spokesman said some landlord-tenant relationship was established between the NLC and the global suspect whose syndicate members have been arrested.
Adejobi said the raid was unconnected to the recent #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests.
According to him, the police have embarked on a forensic investigation and the NLC would be needed in the probe of the suspect claiming multiple foreign identities including being a Russian and a Briton.
“The NLC is not the suspect here. We had a target and whatever it takes, we must get him at all means,” Adejobi said, hinting that the suspect travels frequently out of Nigeria.
The raid was not to get the man but to recover certain incriminating evidence and we have gotten what we want, Adejobi said.
The police accused the suspect of “subversion” and threat to “run down the country”.
“We have (uncovered) plans that people want to run down Nigeria. We have (uncovered) plans that people want to destroy our democracy, destroy our common heritage called Nigeria, and we cannot keep quiet…We are getting enough help and we will get this man,” he said.
