Thugs numbering about 50 suspected to be working for the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, on Wednesday morning beat up labour leaders, Journalists as well as workers who were at the residence of the minister for picketing over his refusal to inaugurate the board of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
Blueprint gathered that labour as early as 5am, took two of the N60, 000 litres of tankers to block the entrance to the residence of the minister at No 19, Justice Muhammed Nasir street, Asokoro, preventing the minister to come out.
All efforts to get the labour leaders lead by the President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, to remove the tankers did not yield any result as they insisted that the pocketing must go on as planned.
Security sources told Blueprint that this did not go down well with Dr Nigige who have to leave the house at 6am, after breaking flowers to have his way with only one vehicle out of the house.
When other Labour leaders and workers arrived the residence of the minister at 7.30am, there were both police and Operatives of Department of Security Services (DSS) at the entrance preventing workers from gaining access into the minister’s residence.
After about an hour, the workers arrived the minister’s residence, the thugs came out from other side of the street with stones, sticks, bottles and other weapons and hauled them at the workers.
At this point, both the police, DSS and Nigeria Secuirty and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) personnel watched helplessly while the thugs beat up the workers who were not armed.
The group destroy vehicles belonging to Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), African Independent Television (AIT) Reporter and injured scores of workers and a Journalist with Premium Times who were carrying out thier legitimate duties.
