By Thompson Yamput
Following the impending nationwide strike on Wednesday, Babatunde Ishola, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, in charge of Zone 8, has appealed to Kogi workers to be peaceful in their protest.
The AIG made the appeal during a meeting with Labour Leaders in Lokoja on Tuesday.
Ishola explained that the meeting became imperative following the police desire to see that the strike was violence free.
“This meeting is aimed at appealing to you, the organised Labour, to conduct yourselves within the context of the law as you commence your strike on Wednesday.
“This is because we don’t want a situation where hoodlums may seize the opportunity and hijack the process to unleashed violence on the state,” the AIG said.
On his part, the State Commissioner of Police , Onuoha Bethrand, commended the AIG for the prompt meeting and allayed fears that hoodlums could hijack the process.
The CP also appealed to the Labour Leaders to collaborate with the Security Agencies so as to deny trouble makers the opportunity to strike and disrupt the peace of the state.
Bethrand, however, assured the workers of adequate Security deployment during the protest.
On his part, the Kogi Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Amari Gabriel, assured the AIG that organized Labour in the State were law abiding citizens, who will do their best to ensure a peaceful protest.
“You should know that we are obeying the National directive for all the State Chapters to embark on a nationwide protest.
“I am assuring you that the Labour Union will appear in their uniforms while those who don’t have uniforms would be issued with tags for easy identification,” he said.
Also, the Kogi TUC Chairman, Comrade Ahmed Sule-Tijani, said “the purpose of the protest is to let the government know that Labour is the hope of the common man.”
Sule-Tijani also assured of a peaceful protest in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other Senior Police Officers present at the meeting include DCP Atabor Nosa-Festus, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration Zone 8 Headquarters, Lokoja, and ACP Ajao Olusegun, Assistant Commissioner of Investigation, Zone 8 Headquarters, Lokoja.
Others are ACP Sunday Omonijo, Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations, Zone 8 Headquarters, Lokoja, as well as Comrade Opaluwa Eleojo, Vice Chairman, NLC, Kogi State, among others. NAN
