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Workers who refused to obey the ongoing 2-day strike have been whipped and chased out of the Anambra state secretariat on Tuesday.

Officials of the Anambra State chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) reportedly used canes to chase workers out of the secretariat in their bid to enforce compliance with the two-day nationwide warning strike declared by the body.

Following its National Executive Council meeting, NLC had issued a communiqué declaring that it would commence a two-day nationwide warning strike on Sept. 5.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some NLC officials resorted to the use of canes to chase civil servants out of workplaces.

One of the workers, who preferred anonymity, said: “This is the first time I’ve witnessed labour union taking this strike action seriously since I joined the civil service. For the first time, I saw labour officials using canes to flog workers out of their offices. If I had known they would be this serious, I would not have reported to work today.”

The federal secretariat opposite the state secretariat was deserted as workers did not report to work. Banks and courts within Awka, the state capital, were also closed.

Commercial activities in Awka were unaffected, however, as businesses, shops, and markets were open and transporters carried out their businesses without obstructions.

Humphrey Nwafor, NLC chairman in Anambra State, said: “Though we are still monitoring the strike, I can tell you that we have recorded 90 per cent compliance in Anambra State. I’m calling on workers in the state to come together as a pressure group to press home our demands.”