Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Michael Lenin, a leader of the Endbadgovernance protests, early Monday morning at his residence in the Apo area of the Federal Capital Territory.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, reported that Lenin’s house was raided by the DSS at around 2 am. Adenola claimed that Lenin was assaulted during the arrest and called for his immediate and unconditional release. Adenola said, “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.”
As of the time of this report, DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya had not responded to requests for comment.
Lenin, who is the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign, had recently criticized President Bola Tinubu’s address on the Endbadgovernance protests. Lenin expressed disappointment in a press briefing, stating, “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. Many had requested that the President should address the nation when the protest was being mobilized and when it started to escalate. However, the President only justified state violence on protesters and journalists while dismissing their demands. This, plus the failed attempt to co-opt the progressive and radical language of the protests, shows how much President Tinubu is out of touch with the masses.”
Despite the arrest, Lenin urged citizens to continue the protests, stating, “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.”
