O peratives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Micheal Lenin, a prominent leader of the ongoing EndBadGovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Lenin was apprehended at approximately 2 am on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT.
According to Damilare Adenola, the Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, Lenin’s house was raided by the DSS, and he was allegedly assaulted during the arrest.
“Lenin has been arrested by the DSS. He was picked up during a raid on his house around 2 am. He was arrested and tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release,” Adenola said in a statement to our correspondent.
Attempts to reach DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya for comments have been unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. Messages sent to him have not yet received a response.
Lenin, who serves as the National Coordinator for the Youth Rights Campaign, has been a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. At a recent press briefing, Lenin expressed disappointment with the President's broadcast on Sunday, which addressed the #EndBadGovernance protests for the first time.
“We wish to express our sadness and deep disappointment at the latest broadcast by President Tinubu, which is his first address to the nation on the #EndBadGovernance protests, after over three weeks since Nigerians started mobilizing to take to the streets and after scores of dead protesters and assaulted journalists from the first three days of the protests,” Lenin stated.
He criticized the President for justifying state violence against protesters and journalists while dismissing the demands of the protesters. “This, plus the failed attempt to co-opt the progressive and radical language of the protests, only shows how much President Tinubu is out of touch with the masses,” he added.
Despite his arrest, Lenin called for the continuation of the protests, urging citizens to come out in large numbers. “We, therefore, call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to continue these protests on Monday until our demands are met. The two-pronged approach of violence and propaganda has failed. The violence and repressions are just attempts to silence and control us, and the propaganda cannot sway or fool us,” he declared.
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