Nigerian police detained the head of the country's largest labour union, watching him getting beaten by thugs before bundling him into a van during a protest.
Officers arrested Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leader Joe Ajaero following a crackdown on a workers' rights protest in southeastern Imo state, according to two main union groups.
The NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been in talks with the government over recent reforms that have seen fuel and food prices sharply increase in Africa's largest economy.
NLC spokesperson Benson Upah said Ajaero was on Wedneday "beaten up, blindfolded and taken to an unknown destination," by officers.
Imo State police did not immediately respond to repeated requests for confirmation.
Labour rights violations
The union leader was later taken to a police hospital and was treated at the Federal Medical Centre in Imo state capital Owerri, Upah said.
In a joint statement, the NLC and TUC said "thugs" in pickup trucks had descended on a group of workers near its Owerri offices, smashing car windscreens and attacking and injuring union members.
When Ajaero arrived later, they "inflicted heavy injuries" on him while police watched on, the unions said. The NLC, an umbrella group of trade unions, planned a demonstration over "non-payment of salaries and pensions for 44 months and violation of other labour rights," Upah told AFP.
Economic reforms
Nigerians are struggling with a tripling of fuel prices and higher food costs after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ended a fuel subsidy and floated the naira currency.
His government says the reforms will cause short-term economic pain but will benefit the country in the long run and attract more foreign investment.
Last month Nigeria's labour unions agreed to call off a planned strike in protest over rising living costs, after the government offered a package of measures to cushion the impact of its economic reforms.
