Lady's Face Destroyed After Overzealous Policeman Fired Tear Gas At Protesting

A worker's face was seriously scarred after policemen fired tear gas at protesting workers at Linda Manufacturing Company. The woman, identified as Aina, was hit in the face by a tear-gas canister. The incident created controversy and panic for the residents of Iju Road, Lagos State. It was learnt that the protest was staged by the workers of the company to show their disapproval for the sack of 10 workers. The overzealous police officers while trying to disperse the crowd, damaged the lady's nose with tear-gas canister. Some of the workers who spoke on condition of anonymity said the lady had been rushed to the Ikeja General Hospital where she was receiving treatment.

According to a Punch report, about 10 workers, including executives of the workers’ union in the company, were given the sack. Their letters were said to have been dispatched by courier to their houses on Saturday and Sunday. The report further stated that the General Secretary of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, Douglas Adiele, who spoke on the issue, explained that the grouse with the management of Linda company started the previous week when workers went on strike and demanded that the company stopped giving them “unrealistic targets”.

He said the workers had been given targets to complete about 350 tasks in a day, which many of the workers had been unable to achieve.

According to Adiele, workers who are unable to complete the tasks are given demerits and when the demerits have reached 27 points, they are disengaged. Adiele said, “The affected workers were disengaged without negotiating their benefits with the union. The union will picket the company if by Wednesday, the management refuses to recall the sacked workers.” "In 2014, Linda company with factories in Iju and Mushin area of Lagos was shut down by Lagos state agencies over the death of an employee, Nnamdi Solomon, whose remains were abandoned in the rain on the premises for two days.

"It was gathered that during the Monday protest, the workers destroyed some equipment and computer systems in the company. "When contacted, the Human Resources Manager of the company, Ms. Lara Folajimi, said she could not comment on the issue. “Right now I cannot explain anything. I cannot answer any questions for now,” she said.

But the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said Aina’s injury was not from a gunshot.

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