The Socialist Labour group of Nigeria has told the Department of State Services (DSS) to release its member, Andrew Emeziele, who has been held in custody since July 4 on the allegation of a plan to stage a protest.

Emelieze, the National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, was detained at the Agodi Correctional Centre Ibadan, following an order of a court to remand him for two weeks.

However, the DSS has continued to keep him in detention, “but without any visiting rights”. In a statement, the group said: “The development was a worrying trend that anyone attempting to organise protests is ‘invited’ by the DSS with similar harassment suffered by journalists who are critical of the President or governors.”

While calling for action from the trade unions to defend Andrew Emeziele’s constitutional right, the group said Andrew, who is the former Chair of the Trades Union Council (TUC) in Oyo State, has successfully built the Federal Workers Forum as a pressure group within the federal workers unions.

“It now has thousands of supporters across the country. The Federal Workers Forum has been calling for further robust action over the trade unions’ demands.