The Labour Party (LP) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to arrest the party’s former National Chairman, Julius Abure, over an alleged unlawful entry into the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The interim National Chairman of the party, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, and the Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, made the call on Thursday during an address to journalists at the LP secretariat.

Usman alleged that Abure unlawfully entered the secretariat on Tuesday night and carted away official party documents, describing the action as criminal and shameful.

But the Abure’s camp denied any attack on the secretariat and instead accused the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee of burglary.

She stressed that documents belonging to any institution must remain in the office to preserve institutional memory and continuity.

According to her, the matter has been reported to the security agencies, and she expressed confidence that appropriate action will be taken.

“Every institution must be respected, and there must be institutional memory. When you leave office, you leave the documents behind for those coming after you to build on what has been done,” Usman said.

“But for someone to return at night and remove documents belonging to the office is terribly wrong. People should not think they can do anything and get away with it. We have reported the matter, and we are confident the security agencies will act.”

She added that the party remained open to working with all stakeholders genuinely interested in rebuilding the LP, but insisted that no individual had the right to unlawfully access party facilities or remove official records after leaving office.

Usman outlined the party’s immediate priorities, including membership evaluation, fresh registration of old and new members, and a review of past activities to strengthen the party’s foundation nationwide.

She noted that the LP’s strength lies in its grassroots base of workers, traders, and market men and women, working in collaboration with the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

Reacting on behalf of the NLC, Upah described the alleged action as disgraceful, criminal, and contemptuous of court decisions amid the ongoing leadership dispute.

“When you break into a facility without authorisation, you do not need to be a police officer to know that it is a serious crime,” Upah said.

He recalled past allegations made against labour leaders and said the development reflected a consistent pattern of conduct.

“We have two issues here. These are issues of crime and issues of contempt of court. We condemn this in its entirety and hope the law will take its full course,” he added.

The Labour Party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis, with both Usman and Abure claiming the party’s leadership.

In January 2026,

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court recognised the Senator Usman-led executive as the legitimate leadership of the party. (The Guardian)

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