The Nigeria Police Force has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress over the planned strike action and protest from Monday over the recent hike in electricity tariff and fuel price.
The two labour bodies have vowed to go ahead with the protest despite two court injunctions restraining the plan.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja had on Thursday granted an order of interim injunction restraining the unions from disrupting, restraining, picketing or preventing the workers or ordinary Nigerians from accessing their offices to carry out their legitimate duties on September 28, 2020, or any other date.
Justice Ibrahim Galadima, who also issued an interim order restraining the labour unions from embarking on the strike action, gave the ruling following an ex parte application filed by a group, Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association, through their counsel, Sunusi Musa.
The court also granted an order compelling the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General, Department of State Services, to provide protection for workers engaged in their legitimate duties from any form of harassment, intimidation and bullying by the officers, agents or privies of the unions pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
In another ruling on Friday, the judge issued another order restraining the unions from going ahead with the strike, following an ex parte application by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the AGF are the plaintiffs in the second suit marked NICN/ABJ/257/2020. The ex parte application was signed by the AGF, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
However, the labour unions on Saturday insisted that they are yet to be served the court orders.
The labour unions added that the planned strike and protest will only be shelved if the Federal Government reversed the recent hikes.
The Nigerian police, however, reacted to the statement of the labour unions on Saturday.
The police said they would be guided by the position of the law on the matter.
“What does the law say in this circumstance? We would enforce the law. That is the only thing I can say,” Force spokesperson, DCP Frank Mba simply stated.
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