The officers of the Oyo State Joint Security Task Force, codenamed Operation Burst, have supposedly attacked and jailed casual employees of a company, Extreme Manufacturing Nigeria Limited, following the latter’s protest against alleged bad pay and indecent labour practices, according to SaharaReporters.

The employees, it was gathered, began the protest considering that Saturday, January 8 and were attacked on the exact same day by the officers after which they were detained and consequently made to separately pay N5,000 as bail.

On Thursday, a large number of them were again arrested and apprehended by officers of the JSTF, a civic group, the Campaign for Democracy and Workers Rights, said.

The civic group revealed this in a declaration issued by Bamigboye Abiodun, the State Coordinator, and obtained by SaharaReporters.

The CDWR kicked versus such inhumane treatments versus the workers saying they had actually only developed their complaints through the protest.

It, for that reason, called on the state leadership of the Trade Union Congress and Nigerian Labour Congress to right away resolve the circumstance.

It further called for the immediate release of the nabbed employees.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, CDWR has actually been drawn to the new attack and arrest of casual employees in EXTREME MANUFACTURING NIGERIA LIMITED who had actually been on a protest since Saturday, 8th January, 2022 against bad pay and indecent labour practices by officer of operation burst.

“The protesting employees were detained early on Thursday during their tranquil demonstration for an improvement in their pay and working condition. This is the second time the officers of operation burst will be releasing this kind of attack on the bad protesting workers.

“The very first attack on Saturday, 8 January, 2022 by the very same officers of operation burst during which they were beaten, brutalised and 7 individuals arrested though supposedly launched after 24hours having allegedly required to Pay N5000 each.

“This wanted the DPO Idi-Ayunre police station earlier invited by the company management to quelch the demonstration declined the demand.

“CDWR condemns both the very first and brand-new attack on the protesting poor casual employees. It is an infraction of the right of the opposing workers to a peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

“We require the release of all the detained workers who are still in the operation burst detention and require a refund of the N5000 supposedly gathered from those who were apparently launched.

“Again, CDWR cautions versus a repeat of this undemocratic conduct by officers of operation burst and requires the instant arrest and prosecution of all of the officers who were involved in this sort of illegal and undemocratic operation.

“We also call on the state management of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and Trade Union Congress, TUC to echo these needs with an instant useful intervention with a view to commence a project against casualisation and other types of indecent labour practices under which workers groan in workplaces throughout the state.”

ToriNG