The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates on Wednesday protested nationwide against rising insecurity in the country.
The union had declared a nationwide protest for 17 December, citing what it described as the country’s ‘degenerating security situation’.
In a notice issued to all state councils on 10 December, after its National Executive Committee-in-session meeting on 4 December, the union condemned the rampant activities of bandits and kidnappers across the country.
It singled out the 17 November abduction of female students from a boarding school in Kebbi State and expressed outrage over the withdrawal of security personnel from the school shortly before the incident.
The union directed all its affiliates and state councils to ‘fully mobilise’ workers and civil society for the protest.
In last-minute efforts to halt the protest, President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday night, met with the NLC leadership and some state governors, led by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
The President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, told journalists on Wednesday that the leadership of the Congress would meet with the President again by January to address the issue of financial insecurity of Nigerian workers.
Ajaero said that the engagement the Labour had with the Federal Government was aimed at cancelling the planned protest, adding that the workers who were poorly paid and inadequately fed were more likely to face deeper challenges.
‘The action continued this morning (Wednesday). We are rounding off now. We will take back whatever we discussed with them to our members.
‘The attitude of meeting on the day or eve of any action is not rocket science.
‘However, Mr President was emphatic that the issue of insecurity will be a thing of the past very soon. He said he’s taking extra steps to take care of it.
‘We equally talked about financial insecurity because a worker who is not well fed and not well paid will have even more problems than those who are well fed and well paid.
‘Mr President said he has put Nigeria on the map of prosperity, and we agreed that we’re going to meet in January to look at some grey areas where we need to touch.
‘It will equally translate into the prosperity of the working people of Nigeria’, he said.
On whether the protest had been cancelled, Ajaero said: ‘We are going back to our members now, and then we will get back to them.
‘But today (Wednesday) is gone, and our action is not an indefinite one. It’s a protest. The issue of suspension is not there because the action was taken off this morning’, Ajaero said.
Uzodimma, who is Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, said the President’s intervention played a key role in resolving the matter, adding that a channel had been opened for increased communication with Labour.
‘President Bola Tinubu met last night with the leadership of NLC. They discussed issues of the Nigerian economy, workers’ welfare, ongoing reforms, national security and other developments in the country, and all of them agreed.
‘National unity is very critical, and our national interest is also very important. And the march towards economic prosperity by the president is a welcome idea.
‘At the end of the meeting, we also discovered that there is a need for regular engagements with the Nigeria Labour Congress.
‘For now, both the government and labour are on the same page to ensure that Nigeria is better protected, and more investments in the areas of security should be encouraged’.
The governor expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the way he came out to explain to the labour leaders his programmes and activities for improved security arrangements in the country.
‘We are also very grateful to the NLC for the maturity they exhibited; for the interest they also displayed for national security and better security for Nigerians and the welfare of Nigerian workers’, he said.
On Wednesday, workers gathered across states and the Federal Capital Territory in obedience to the directive of the NLC leadership to protest against insecurity.
Demonstrations in Lagos, Abuja, Anambra and some other parts of the country underscored how fear, violence and restricted movement have become part of daily life for millions of Nigerians.
In Abuja, the workers converged on the NLC national secretariat, with security personnel, including police, civil defence, and officials from the Department of State Services, deployed to ensure orderliness.
Ajaero, addressing the workers, said the planned protest remained firm and was intended to draw attention to the country’s worsening insecurity.
‘The protest is to help this country – to call attention to the effect of insecurity’, he said.
He warned that insecurity was affecting Nigeria’s economy and discouraging investors.
Ajaero also highlighted the human cost, noting that workers and their families were often victims of kidnappings.
‘Many workers are being kidnapped daily. People are killed. In Kebbi, a teacher was killed. Children of workers are kidnapped. The government must act to find the perpetrators’, he said.
Ajaero described banditry and kidnappings for ransom as alien to Nigerian values and called for a national response to end the trend.
He also suggested the idea of an ‘insecurity allowance’ to support workers who are kidnapped and often need to raise money for ransom.
‘This protest is our way of telling Nigerians and the international community that insecurity must stop.
‘This is not the culture of Nigerians, and we must condemn it and strengthen the hands of those in authority to make sure it does not continue’, he said.
In Lagos, the march started at 9:10 am from the historic Ikeja Under Bridge and concluded at the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa.
Workers in union colours and civil society activists waved Nigeria Labour Congress flags and chanted labour songs and freedom anthems.
They criticised escalating banditry, kidnappings and violent crime, saying insecurity has eroded both safety and freedom of movement across the country.
At the forefront of the march were the chairperson of the NLC Lagos chapter, Funmi Sessi, and human rights lawyer and Labour Ambassador, Femi Falana (SAN).
Speaking with The PUNCH after the protest, Sessi said the turnout reflected growing public frustration and readiness to demand action.
‘I am pleased with the level of mobilisation we witnessed today. Considering that this was an impromptu protest, the turnout was very impressive. It shows that Nigerians are ready’, she said.
She added that the NLC, organised workers and LASCO had joined other Nigerians to peacefully express displeasure over rising insecurity, including concerns over missing girls and widespread criminality.
‘This period should be a time of rest, celebration and travel. Many people want to return to their villages to celebrate with loved ones, but the fear of insecurity has made travelling unsafe’, Sessi explained.
She added, ‘Lagos may still be relatively secure, but the same cannot be said for many other states and major routes. The freedom to move across the country has been severely eroded’.
Sessi also warned against foreign military intervention, saying such actions often left countries with lasting devastation.
‘We do not want what happened in Libya, Iraq, Iran or Gaza to happen in Nigeria. Those in authority swore an oath to protect lives and property, and they must honour that oath’, she added.
Vice Chairman of the NLC Lagos Chapter, Comrade Olapisi Adebayo Ido, said the protest sent a strong message that Nigerians could no longer remain silent.
Earlier at the protest ground, Falana faulted the state for its inability to safeguard lives, urging immediate reforms to the country’s security framework and warning lawmakers that leadership loses its meaning when citizens live in constant fear.
‘The right to life and security is not up for negotiation’, Falana said. ‘Labour will not plead for it; we will insist on it’, he said.
Workers in Gombe held a peaceful protest against the worsening state of insecurity in the country.
The protesting workers, who moved in a convoy of vehicles, converged at the office of the Deputy Governor, where the NLC state chairman, Yusuf Bello, formally presented a letter addressed to the Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya.
Bello said the protest was aimed at conveying the position of Nigerian workers on the rising wave of insecurity and proposing practical ways forward.
He noted that insecurity had continued to affect Nigerians across religious, ethnic and occupational lines, with devastating consequences for livelihoods, education, healthcare and national development.
The congress highlighted the impact of insecurity on farmers, teachers, healthcare workers, traders and other vulnerable groups, listing ‘statistics on the destruction of schools and healthcare facilities, killings and abductions of workers, and the mass displacement of professionals, especially in the North-East’.
The Deputy Governor, Dr Manassah Jatau, acknowledged the validity of the concerns raised by the NLC, noting that insecurity and corruption remained major challenges confronting the nation.
Jatau, however, stressed that addressing these challenges was a collective responsibility, not that of government alone.
In Borno State, the protest began around 9:00 am, and it brought together members of the NLC, civil society organisations, journalists and artisans in the state.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the peaceful walk, the state chairman of the NLC, Yusuf Inuwa, lamented the spate of abduction and killings across the country, urging the government to expedite action to guarantee citizens’ safety.
‘When we chant that we don’t want two governments, you know, a terrorist like Turji, for instance, is a government on his own, where he is operating.
‘President [Bola] Tinubu is the head of government of Nigeria, and Turji cannot be another government in the same government with President Tinubu. We want President Tinubu to be the only government, because Turji is currently the president, where he is. President Tinubu must send Turji and his likes out of the country’, he said.
The state NLC chairman called for a change of strategy in the fight against insurgency, adding that the government must prosecute terrorists and their sponsors.
The chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Borno State chapter, Abdulkareem Haruna, said the walk was to register citizens’ concern on the current assault on education in the country.
Rather than protesting, the Sokoto State chapter of the NLC instead opted to hold special prayers for peace and safety across the state.
The decision was announced by the state NLC chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Jungle, who said the move followed extensive consultations and a resolution of the State Executive Council, in line with the directive of the NLC national headquarters.
In Sokoto State, several local government areas, including Sabon Birni, Isa, Rabah, Tangaza and Gada, have recorded repeated attacks, leading to loss of lives, displacement of residents and disruption of economic activities, especially farming and trading.
Neighbouring Zamfara State also remained one of the worst-hit by armed banditry.
Jungle acknowledged that insecurity had continued to take a heavy toll on Sokoto and other parts of the region.
While commending security agencies in the state for what he described as ‘recent victories and visible efforts’, the labour leader stressed that the situation still required urgent and sustained intervention.
Special prayer sessions were held at the NLC secretariat, with Islamic scholars, labour leaders and community members in attendance.
In Enugu, workers stormed the streets to protest the worsening insecurity, declaring that the country had become unsafe for everyone.
Led by the state chairman, Fabian Nwigbo, the protesters marched through major roads in Enugu metropolis, chanting solidarity songs and holding placards that read ‘Nigeria is bleeding’, ‘End terrorism, banditry and kidnapping now’, and ‘Poverty fuels insecurity—create jobs, support local industries’, among others.
Addressing the protesters, Nwigbo said, ‘The environment is not safe for anybody in Nigeria. Our school children are not safe, teachers are not safe, workers are not safe, farmers are not safe, and travellers are not safe. Nobody is safe anywhere.
‘Even the political class is no longer safe. Today, one person is kidnapped, tomorrow another is shot. We are saying no to insecurity. Enough is enough’.
The protest ended peacefully, with the NLC demanding urgent, decisive action to end terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country.
The Kebbi State chapter of the NLC staged a peaceful solidarity rally in Birnin Kebbi.
The rally, led by the state chairman, Murtala Usman, brought together 13 labour unions, including NUJ, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Medical and Health Workers’ Union, Radio and Television Workers’ Union, among others.
Addressing participants at Labour House after the procession, Usman emphasised that the event was a solidarity rally, not a protest, noting that Kebbi remained relatively peaceful despite isolated bandit attacks.
‘We are here to stand with our national body and with Nigerians facing insecurity in their states. Organised labour stands with them’, Usman said.
In Owerri, Imo State, workers, led by the state chairman, Chigaemezu Nwigwe, called for urgent steps to protect lives and property.
National Treasurer of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Uche Nwokeji, was also on the ground to show solidarity with the NLC.
The workers marched in a peaceful protest from the Labour house to the government Secretariat along the busy Port Harcourt Road, Owerri. They made a brief stop at the state House of Assembly, where labour leaders presented their concerns.
Nwigwe said failure by authorities to address insecurity could prompt even more decisive actions nationwide.
The organised labour in Ekiti State on Wednesday, led by the state chairman of the NLC, Kolapo Olatunde, described the insecurity in the country as ‘a serious threat to national stability, economic growth and the welfare of Nigerian workers’.
Olatunde called on the Federal Government, in collaboration with state governments and security agencies, to urgently strengthen the nation’s security architecture.
The placards-carrying protesting labour union members, who moved through major streets in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, called on governments at all levels to take urgent and decisive action to protect lives and property.
Also speaking during the protest, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Oluseyi Olatunde, said more proactive and holistic approaches were required to tackle insecurity.
Workers in Benue State marched in their numbers from their secretariat along Otukpo road, Makurdi, through major streets of the metropolis to stage a peaceful protest, which ended at the Government House, Makurdi.
The state NLC chairman, Emmanuel Igbe, decried the level of killings of innocent Nigerians by armed herdsmen, bandits and other criminal elements in the country.
‘Benue State has been worse hit by unabated killings, kidnappings by bandits and armed herdsmen attacks. We call on President Bola Tinubu to end these menaces for peace to reign’, he said.
Receiving the protesters, Governor Hyacinth Alia, who was represented by the state Head of Service, Dr Ogbogbo Ode, acknowledged the level of insecurity in the state and country and assured that their message would receive quick attention.
In Osogbo, Osun State, the protest march, led by the Osun NLC chairman, Christopher Arapasopo, took off from Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, Osogbo and moved through the MDS road to Olaiya Junction, where the leaders of various groups addressed the participants.
Armed with placards with inscriptions such as ‘Stop the criminality’, ‘Education is our right’, and ‘President Tinubu end insecurity now’, the protesters declared that many Nigerians were living in fear due to the activities of criminals.
They called for a more serious approach by the government to keep lives and property safe in the country.
Arapasopo lamented rising cases of violent crimes in the country and called on the federal and state governments to arrest the situation before it deteriorated further.
The chairman of Osun Civil Societies Coalition, Waheed Lawal, said the demand for better security remained a constitutional right of Nigerians.
In Umuahia, Abia State, the state NLC Chairman, Okoro Ogbonnaya, challenged Tinubu to rise to the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria before going to other countries to play ‘Big Brother Africa’, regretting ‘while Nigeria is on fire, its leaders are chasing rats’.
He said, ‘We challenge Nigerian leaders to live up to expectations. They should first of all tackle the issue of insecurity in Nigeria before looking elsewhere.
‘People are being murdered in their thousands every day. Nigerians are being kidnapped in their thousands. This is happening all over the country – in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, in Nasarawa, Benue, South-South, South-East, everywhere’.
The Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Kingsley Nwokocha, who received the protesting workers on behalf of Governor Alex Otti, thanked them for their peaceful disposition.
Rivers State NLC Chairman, Alex Agwanwor, speaking during the protest at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, said the union was disturbed over the rising cases of insecurity.
The workers had begun a march from the union secretariat in D/Line axis of Port Harcourt, and marched through Aba Road to Azikiwe Road, before terminating it at the Government House.
Agwanwor dismissed any political undertone to the nationwide protest, noting that the situation was alarming.
‘What we are protesting today is to tell the Federal Government that the issue of insecurity is a serious concern.
‘Most of our workers have been kidnapped, our family members have been kidnapped, our children have been kidnapped. We have suffered so much because of insecurity’, he said.
The Chairman of Construction Workers Association and Vice Chairman of the NLC, Steven Okoro, described the insecurity upsurge in the country as a national problem.
‘I’m here to support you and support ourselves on the issues confronting Nigeria, not only the Nigerian workers but everybody.
‘Insecurity is a big challenge. In the South, it is mild, but if you go down to the North, you can’t sleep in your own country. People are dying on a daily basis’, he said.
The Permanent Secretary of Government House, Chukwuma Augustine, who addressed the workers on behalf of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, commended them for their peaceful disposition and promised to deliver their letter to the state chief executive.
In its study, Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnapping Industry, SB Morgen, reported that between June 2024 and June 2025, kidnappers demanded more than N48 billion from victims and their families, though only N2.57 billion was actually paid.
The Northwest was identified as the region most affected by violent kidnappings, while the South-South and South-East faced what the report described as ‘targeted religious abduction and financial extortion’.
The research also noted a sharp rise in ransom payments over recent years: N653.7 million in 2022, falling to N302 million in 2023, jumping to N1.05 billion in 2024, and reaching N2.5 billion in the latest figures.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024, estimated that between May 2023 and April 2024, there were roughly 2.24 million kidnapping incidents across Nigeria, with households paying a total of N2.23 trillion in ransom. About 65 per cent of affected households reported making payments to secure the release of victims, averaging N2.67 million per case.
