Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday morning began assembling at the NLC Secretariat in Abuja as part of a nationwide protest to condemn the worsening security situation across the country.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, was already on ground at the secretariat, joined by leaders of various labour unions and representatives of civil society organisations who turned out in support of the action.
Also present were Omoyele Sowore and members of the Revolution Now Movement, who said they were participating in solidarity with organised labour over what they described as the government’s continued failure to protect citizens.
Addressing journalists at the venue, Sowore said Nigeria was experiencing a deepening security crisis and accused the federal government of abandoning its primary responsibility to safeguard lives and property.
“For the civil society, the country is bleeding, and the bleeding must stop immediately. Nigeria’s leadership has failed to protect Nigerians at this time,” Sowore said.
He lamented the spate of kidnappings across the country, noting that places of worship were no longer safe for citizens, regardless of religious affiliation.
“People are getting kidnapped from places of worship, whether you’re a Muslim or Christian. We’ve over 250 kids still in captivity in Niger State, and everybody is behaving as if it’s normal, and everybody is moving on,” he added.
Sowore also raised concerns about reports of Nigerian military personnel allegedly captured abroad, describing the situation as a sign of a total breakdown of national security.
“We even have our soldiers, members of the air force, captured by Burkina Faso, and it looks like everything has broken down irretrievably, and we’ve a duty to keep mobilising Nigerians to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” he said.
Meanwhile, security operatives were deployed around the NLC Secretariat and its environs. Officers of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and operatives of the Department of State Services were seen maintaining a visible presence as the protest gathered momentum.
What you should know
The nationwide protest organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress is driven by growing public anger over persistent kidnappings, attacks on communities, and the general perception that insecurity is worsening across Nigeria.
Labour leaders and civil society groups argue that the government has failed to respond decisively to threats affecting schools, places of worship and even security personnel.
By mobilising workers and activists, the NLC hopes to pressure authorities into taking urgent and concrete steps to restore safety, reassure citizens, and address what protesters describe as a dangerous normalization of violence and insecurity nationwide.
