The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has been released after a brief detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Ajaero, who was on his way to attend an official engagement in London, was arrested without a stated reason, which caused uproar within the NLC and civil society circles.

Activists and labour leaders, including Omoyele Sowore, expressed outrage over Ajaero’s arrest and called for his immediate release.

Following Ajaero’s release, the NLC has intensified its call for an explanation for the arrest, which was perceived as an act of intimidation against the labour movement. Some activists have posited that the detention may have been linked to the ongoing plans by the NLC for a nationwide protest against bad governance and poor living conditions in Nigeria.

The DSS is yet to provide an official statement on the incident, leaving the public in the dark regarding the reasons for Ajaero’s arrest.

The confirmation of Joe Ajaero’s release was shared via Sowore’s verified Twitter account, @YeleSowore, where he posted a tweet stating, “The fascist regime of @officialABAT has released @NLCHeadquarters President Joe Ajaero from @OfficialDSSNG custody on bail.”

The tweet, dated and time-stamped with the date of the incident, serves as evidence of Sowore’s confirmation of Ajaero’s release from the custody of the DSS.