The Inspector-General of Policen (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged assault on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Joe Ajaero, by the police personnel in Imo State last week.
Ajaero was picked up by armed policemen during a non-violent rally at the NLC secretariat in Owerri and taken into custody last Wednesday.
The congress, through a statement after the incident, alleged that Ajaero was blindfolded, assaulted and threatened with death by the police.
The organized labour, on Tuesday, ordered the shutdown of power supply and fuel in Imo State over the incident.
In a communiqué issued at the end of an extraordinary meeting of the National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) also directed aviation workers to stop flights into and outside the state.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the development through a statement posted on the Force’s X platform (formerly Twitter) on Friday, said the probe is to ascertain the facts surrounding the incident.
The statement read: “The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered investigations into the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault on the person of the President of the National Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero.
“Consequently, he has directed the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department to take over the matter with the primary objective of ascertaining the true facts surrounding the incident and to address any ambiguities that may exist as the Police has been inundated with different versions of the incident making investigations imperative to clear the conflicting accounts.
“The Nigeria Police Force understands the importance of transparency and accountability in maintaining public trust.
“The IGP therefore assures the public, most especially the leadership of the organised labour, that a thorough and unbiased inquiry will be conducted to provide clarifications while urging organised labour and the public to remain calm, as he has personally intervened to address the issues surrounding this incident.
“The investigation has commenced, and the Nigeria Police Force guarantees that it will be followed to a conclusive end, and appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.”