Workers’ Rights Campaign Demands Immediate Release of Arrested Labour Leader Andrew Emelieze

The Workers’ Rights Campaign (WRC) has called for the immediate release of Andrew Emelieze, National Coordinator of the Federal Workers Forum, who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) operatives on June 30, 2025.

Emelieze’s arrest reportedly stemmed from his role in mobilizing federal civil servants to demand full payment of consequential adjustments tied to the national minimum wage and related allowances. His detention came just ahead of a planned nationwide protest on July 1, organized by the Forum to highlight the hardships faced by federal workers.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, WRC National Coordinator Lai Brown and National Secretary Ayemhenre Kelvin condemned the arrest as “draconian” and indicative of the “tyrannical nature of the APC regime under President Bola Tinubu.”

The group accused the government of using state security agencies like the DSS to intimidate labour activists instead of addressing the legitimate grievances of public workers struggling under severe economic pressure.

“The Tinubu regime has chosen repression over resolution, weaponizing poverty and fear to silence dissenting voices,” the statement said.

WRC warned that this politics of repression aims to instill fear and suppress the rising anger among workers. However, they affirmed that the working class would not be cowed but will continue to organize and resist.

“The workers’ demands are legitimate,” the statement emphasized. “They call for the full implementation of the national minimum wage, non-taxation, consequential adjustments reflecting the wage review, and full payment of outstanding wage awards preceding the minimum wage agreement.”

Rather than addressing these pressing concerns, the regime has resorted to heavy-handed tactics through the DSS, aiming to intimidate and silence.

“But working-class people will not be cowed. We will fight and stand in solidarity against all forms of repression and oppression,” the WRC declared.

The campaign concluded by demanding the immediate release of Andrew Emelieze and full compliance with the Federal Workers Forum’s demands.