Stories by Christian Appolos | Abuja
THE leadership of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria has decried what it considers unlawful detention of its members by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), demanding their immediate release from the drug enforcement agency’s prison.
The union, in a press statement signed by its President General, Comrade (Prince) Adewale Adeyanju, and made available to Nigerian Tribune, further charged NDLEA to take its members to court, noting that locking them up without following due legal proceedings is tantamount to infringing on their fundamental human rights.
“Maritime Workers Union on of Nigeria is informed of the arrest and continued detention of 13 dockworkers and crew by the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) since October 13, 2021.
“The workers were reportedly arrested whilst on duty on board MV Cha Yaree Naree which berthed at the Green View Development Nigeria Limited Terminal on which narcotics was said to be found.
“There was no information that the drugs were found on the workers. Surprisingly, the poor workers who were neither the ship agent nor the consignee of the vessel were arrested and kept incarcerated by the NDLEA since October 13, 2021 till date, without being released or charged to court as would have been done in line with the tenet of the Rule of Law.
“Similarly, the union is also informed that on Sunday, November 7, 2021 another four dockworkers who were on duty on board MV kartena were arrested by the NDLEA operatives for a bag said to have been found in the vessel, the content of which was not disclosed.
“Again, this bag that is found with undisclosed content was not found on any of the innocent workers arrested and kept in detention for days without being released and charged to court. Their cell phones were also said to have been arrested by the NDLEA operatives.
“Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria is worried as its members seem to be targeted for arrest, whilst the ship agent and the consignee who are in possession of the ship manifest are not even interrogated let alone arrested.
“Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria is not in any way in support of either the importation or peddling of hard drugs into the country but frown at the continued harassment, intimidation, arrest and detention of our members who have been kept incommunicado for over two weeks without being released or charged to court.
“This is not in tandem with global best practices. Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria hereby call on NDLEA to immediately release its members in its detention or charge them to court accordingly,” the statement read in full.
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