(DDM) — The Nigeria Labour Congress, Enugu State chapter, on Wednesday took to the streets of the state capital to protest the worsening insecurity across the country, warning that Nigeria has reached a dangerous breaking point where lives and property are no longer protected.
The peaceful demonstration was led by the state chairman of the congress, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, who marched alongside workers through major roads in Enugu metropolis amid chants, solidarity songs, and strong messages condemning violent crimes nationwide.
Protesters carried placards with bold inscriptions such as “Nigeria is bleeding,” “End terrorism, banditry and kidnapping now,” “Poverty fuels insecurity,” and “Protect schools and citizens,” reflecting growing public frustration over repeated security failures.
Labour leaders said the protest was necessary to draw attention to what they described as government inaction and ineffective responses to escalating violence affecting communities across Nigeria.
Addressing the crowd during the protest, Nwigbo declared that insecurity has become so widespread that no segment of society is spared, including workers, farmers, students, teachers, travellers, and even security operatives themselves.
He stated that Nigeria is gradually becoming unsafe for everyone, stressing that daily reports of kidnappings, killings, and attacks have eroded public confidence in the ability of the state to protect its citizens.
According to him, the primary duty of any responsible government is the protection of lives and property, a responsibility he argued is currently being neglected at all levels of governance.
Nwigbo lamented that schools, once regarded as safe learning environments, have increasingly become targets for criminal attacks, placing children and teachers in constant danger.
He also highlighted how farmers now struggle to access their farmlands due to fear of attacks, worsening food insecurity and economic hardship in rural communities.
Speaking further, the labour leader said insecurity now affects the political class as well, noting that no individual is immune from the growing wave of violence across the country.
He recalled recent incidents where individuals were abducted or killed in quick succession, reinforcing his claim that the nation’s security situation has completely deteriorated.
The NLC chairman revealed that the protest was a direct outcome of resolutions reached during the organisation’s recent National Executive Council meeting, where labour leaders resolved to openly challenge the worsening insecurity nationwide.
He criticized alleged security lapses, citing an incident in a northern state where security personnel were reportedly withdrawn from a school shortly before pupils were abducted, questioning why no one has been held accountable.
In a statement that drew loud reactions from protesters, Nwigbo claimed that animals appeared to enjoy more protection than human beings in Nigeria, describing the situation as unacceptable and inhumane.
He stressed that the demonstration was also meant to dissociate the Nigeria Labour Congress from what he described as a conspiracy of silence surrounding the country’s security crisis.
According to him, the labour movement remains one of the few institutions still willing to speak truth to power on behalf of ordinary Nigerians suffering the consequences of insecurity.
DDM gathered that the protest ended peacefully, with workers returning to their offices after reiterating calls on the federal government to move beyond rhetoric and take decisive, concrete action against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes threatening national stability.
Labour leaders warned that failure to urgently address insecurity could further deepen poverty, discourage investment, and push the country closer to social collapse.
