By Victor Ahiuma-Young
LAGOS—EFCC yesterday, arrested two officials of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, Mr  Babatunde Issac, Head of Administration and Mr  Emeana Christopher, Personal Assistant to the General Secretary of the Union, Mr Joe Ajaero, for undisclosed reasons.

Vanguard gathered, However, that the arrest was not unconnected with the union’s stance against the privatisation of Power Holding Authority of Nigeria, PHCN.

Operatives of the anti-graft agency were said to  have stormed the Adekunle Fajuyi Way Headquarters of the union in plain clothes and demanded to see the General Secretary. When they were told that the General Secretary was not around, some of the armed operatives forcefully took the two union officials away.

An official of the union, who spoke with Vanguard, on condition of anonymity, accused EFCC of being an instrument of a clique in the Presidency that wants to acquire PHCN at all cost,  adding that they saw NUEE as a stumbling block.

The official said by this act, EFCC had shown that its leadership had lost focus and is ignorant of the workings of the trade union.
Meanwhile, NUEE General Secretary, Comrade Ajaero, told Vanguard that the union was not accountable to EFCC, but to the Registrar of Trade Unions. He demanded for immediate release of the arrested unionists.

He said: “When they came to our office, they asked for me, but were told that I was not around. They abducted two officials of the union at gunpoint and left a message that I should come to their Lagos office with our account book. This shows the level of desperation of these people.

“We know who are behind this. Why should EFCC be calling for our union account book? They are not our members. They are not the Registrar of Trade Unions who is authorised to demand for our account book. We are not accountable to EFCC.”
It is obvious that they are acting a script. But we are not intimidated.”

The General Secretary said the President of the union was issuing a statement from Abuja, but at the time of this report, the statement was still being awaited.