NO fewer than 10 persons sustained injuries on Monday when Plateau State striking workers clashed with policemen from the State Police Command during a protest in Jos.
Workers from the 17 local governments of the state had converged on the Nigeria Labour Congress secretariat for a peaceful procession to Terminus Main Market but they were intercepted by the police around Tafawa Balewa Street, near the NLC secretariat.
To disperse the crowd, the police reportedly shot tear gas canisters at the protesters.
Assistant General Secretary of the Jos zonal council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Sunday Akinfolarin, who led the procession, said about 10 people sustained injuries in the stampede that followed the police shooting.
Akinfolarin said, "We were going about a peaceful demonstration before the security men intercepted us and started shooting tear gas canisters and shooting at us.
"The police pursued us even into some residential houses but I cannot ascertain if any of our members have been arrested yet. The police have been very bias on this issue."
Police spokesman, Emmanuel Abuh, told our correspondent in Jos that the police were enforcing the order of the National Industrial Court, which forbade the workers from any sort of protest.