THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has condemned the invasion of its national headquarters – the Labour House – in Abuja by operatives of the country’s security agencies, including the military.

In a statement by its head of media and public relations, Benson Upah, on Wednesday, August 7, heavily armed soldiers, police officers and their counterparts from the State Security Service illegally invaded the Labour House.

The group noted that the security operatives swooped on the 10th Floor, showing no legal document permitting them to invade the premises.

“They arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices. When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor carting away hundreds of books and other publications.

“The invading troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the #EndBadGoveranance protests,” the NLC added in the statement.

The workers noted that their national executive council (NEC) condemned the high-handed manner that security agents treated protesters in many parts of the country, resulting in needless bloodshed that ensued and the sweeping mass arrests of those perceived to have led the protest.

The NLC also demanded that all the books and materials carted away by the security operatives should be returned before the end of work on Thursday, August 8, 2024.

“We make this demand given the illegality of the operation as there was no court order for the invasion, ransacking and looting of the publications.

“If this harassment continues, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not hesitate to call on its members to stay home until their safety and security are assured,” it added.

The ICIR reported that heads of Nigerian security agencies had vowed to unravel the sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protest and make them face the wrath of the law.

They said that the protest sponsors were already on the security watchlist while their accounts were being tracked, adding that they would continue with the crackdown on criminals who have hijacked the protest in some parts of the nation.

The ICIR reported that insecurity, inflation, and a hike in the cost of living among others pushed many Nigerians to stage the protest.

The protests, which began on Thursday, August 1, have been marred by violence, largely caused by the security operatives in places like Lagos and Abuja, where protesters have been subjected to tear gas and harassment.

Despite attacks on peaceful protesters by security operatives, the security heads said that their officers engaged the protesters professionally across the country, adding that their officers used minimal force to disperse protesters from locations where the courts restricted them.