Labour Leaders appeared in Court over protest in Ibadan

News Update on Naija365 News
It was gathered that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) leaders came unnoticed to the venue of the education summit in which they started jeering government officials, as well as other important dignitaries present at the education meeting. They were said to have totally disorganised the venue by turning the tables and chairs upside down as they wished.

The government’s lawyer, MA Ojeah brought a total of six-count charge against the NLC leaders, bordering on alleged intimidation of the secretary to the state government, destruction of property, disruption of stakeholders’ meeting, chasing of participants, unlawful assembly and acts capable of breaching public peace.

The Labour leaders were said to be protesting against the privatisation of secondary schools belonging to the government in Oyo state, while the government on its part dismissed the allegation, stating that there was no plan to privatise, sell or commercialise education in the stat

According to the Sun, the charge sheet stated that the accused persons allegedly destroyed chairs valued at N1million; disturbed public peace; assaulted the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ismail Olalekan-Alli and ‘bear him with sticks,’ thereby causing him bodily harm; threatened the governor while holding meeting with stakeholders and assembled in an unlawful procession to the Oyo State Government Secretariat, carrying Nigeria Union of Teachers banners and thereby committed an offence which was punishable under Section 88.

The counsel to the Labour leaders prayed the court to grant the accused men bail as the offences were bailable, in which he also requested from the police the phones of the accused men seized from them on Thursday, June 2. They charges were brought before Chief Magistrate, A.A. Adebisi. All the accused persons pleaded guilty to all the charges.
The men were granted bail in the sum of N200,000 with a surety who has a national identity card or voter card.‎ Magistrate Adebisi likewise ordered the police officers to return the phones to them, while adjourning the case to June 24 for further hearing.
Source: naij.com