Police mobilize special forces as NLC nationwide protest begins today

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is moving forward with its planned nationwide protest today, Wednesday, December 17, to demand urgent action against the worsening security crisis in the country.
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In response, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the massive deployment of special forces and tactical teams across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to prevent the demonstrations from being hijacked by miscreants.
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The National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC, declared this National Day of Protest and Mourning following the November 17 abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State and a separate abduction in CAC Church, Kwara State. Labor leaders were particularly outraged by reports that security personnel were withdrawn shortly before the attack, in the case of the attack on the schoolgirls in Kebbi State.
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The NLC condemns the surge in school kidnappings, unresolved wage backlogs for federal workers, and deteriorating infrastructure in the tertiary education sector as unacceptable.
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The protest comes at a time of extreme economic and social difficulties plaguing a large proportion of people in the country. Recent data stated that 139 million Nigerians, that is approximately 62% of the population, now live in poverty. 
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NLC spokesperson Benson Upah warned that if a single worker is harmed or if the peaceful protest is violently disrupted by political hirelings, the union will immediately kickstart a nationwide indefinite strike across all sectors.
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The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) and various affiliate unions, including aviation and health workers, have joined the call. While aviation workers have pledged to participate without shutting down flights, they stated that the protest is a duty for collective survival.
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State commands in Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, and Imo have deployed drones and tactical units to monitor routes. The police maintain that while the right to protest is constitutionally protected, they will not tolerate any breach of public order.
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Union leaders argue that protest is the only voice left for ordinary Nigerians who are kidnapped daily and sometimes killed. They see the demonstration as a democratic demand for the fundamental right to life, particularly for students and teachers in remote areas who have been left vulnerable by government inaction.
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