Mkpoikana Udoma 06 July 2015, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the State Police Command to address the growing level of insecurity in the state, or the union would withdraw its members from work for personal security.
TUC chairman in Rivers State, Comrade Chika Hyginus Onuegbu, gave the ultimatum in a letter to the newly-deployed Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Chris Ezeike.
The letter was copied to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase; the TUC President-General/Secretary General, and nine others, following recent attacks on secretariats and leadership of labour unions in Rivers State.
The letter read: “As you are aware, Rivers State is the treasure base of the nation and the centre of oil and gas operations in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the spate of criminality: namely kidnapping; armed robbery; oil theft and pipeline vandalism; and wanton destruction of lives and property has reached an unprecedented level in the state.
“Many workers and residents of the state have been kidnapped, killed, attacked and maimed with impunity in recent times without any effective action by the security agents to curb this ugly trend. The situation is so bad that many of my members now live in fear and are actively seeking for transfers out of Rivers State. Also worrisome is the unwarranted attacks on the secretariat and leadership of labour unions in Rivers State.”
Onuegbu, in the letter, warned that failure by the Police to combat criminality will result to shutting down of labour activities by the TUC members in the state.
