The Nigeria Police Force has explained that its mission to the the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) national secretariat, last Wednesday was not targeted at officials of the union but a foreign suspect capable of undermining the nation's security.
Combined detectives had raided the second floor of the secretariat also
known as the Labour House, located in the Central Business District, Abuja.
The NLC through its spokesman, Benson Upah, accused operatives of the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) of breaking into the floor, ransacked the bookshop, and carted away lots of books and publications.
He said security team also arrested the security guards on duty and forced them to hand over keys to the offices on the second floor before gaining entrance.
But Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi while clarifying the issue, said the sting operation was to obtain documents to help the Police in the arrest and prosecution of a notorious foreign national suspected to be the leader of a syndicate group.
He said the wanted suspect who has been
implicated in numerous criminal activities across Nigeria and other African countries is believed to be the occupant of the said floor in the massive edifice.
Adejobi, disclosed that the suspected international subversive element used the second floor as an office and sufficient evidence was found during the raid.
He added that the raid was not connected to the #endbadgovernance which ended last Saturday, insisting that the Police acted in the most professional manner.
According to him, the suspect with multiple identity, claims to be a Russian and a Briton is also a subject of interest for other African countries who are working with Nigerian authorities to apprehend him.
"We emphasise that the operation had no connection with the NLC, its secretariat, staff, or leadership. The NLC secretariat was not the focus of the operation, which was targeted at a rented shop within the building used by the suspect as a front for his criminal activities in Nigeria.
"The prime criminal suspect in an ongoing investigation was traced to the shop within the building in the Central Business District, Abuja. Detectives, armed with the appropriate legal authority, conducted an operation at the location, which turned out to be the NLC building.
“We recovered evidence to prove that the suspect is a threat to the nation, the man is a suspected subversive element,” Adejobi said.
