NLC Protesters Beat Civil Servants For Defying Order In Oyo

Following the refusal to join the ongoing protest, being the second day, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Oyo State, Tuesday, beat disobedient civil servants at the state secretariat.

Vanguard report that, the protesting NLC members are drawn from various ministries, which include judiciary, parastatals and other agencies.

The civil servants were however beaten under the watch of some labour leaders, who disrupted activities in government offices for several hours, locking workers in their offices.

The protesters did not only disrupt official duties, but carried sticks, sang songs which also affected vehicular movements.

Because Governor Seyi Makinde refused to meet with them and engage in conversation, the irate NLC members also blocked the entrance to the State’s government building.

Some male union members were tasked with ransacking offices inside the state secretariat as others attacked the door in an effort to coerce employees to join the protest by force.

Dare Olaniyan, a member of staff at the Ministry of Information and Orientation who had been harassed, was hurt when the demonstrators roughed him up.

While speaking with Vanguard, Olaniyan said he was beaten despite identifying himself with them.

“I entered the Secretariat’s grounds to retrieve my items from the office. All attempts to convey this to the demonstrators failed because they attacked me without cause.

But instead of reaching a compromise, the NLC members chose to use force, engaging me and other people present in a brawl.

“It took the intervention of the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, CP Sunday Odukoya (retd) to stop them immediately,” said Olaniyan.

The development infuriated Odukoya, who remarked, “Beating civil officials in the name of protest is against the law. You must stop doing this going forward.

Members of the NLC demanded the payment of leave bonuses, gratuities for retirees whose payments have stagnated since the year 2021, and the publication of promotion letters for 2021 and 2022 when the demonstration got underway on Monday.

Bawage (
)