Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Micheal Lenin, a leader of the ongoing End Bad Governance in Nigeria protests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Lenin was apprehended at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT around 2 am on Monday.
Damilare Adenola, the Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, informed our correspondent that Lenin's house was raided by the DSS. Adenola alleged that the DSS also assaulted Lenin during the arrest.
"Lenin has been arrested by the DSS. He was picked up during a raid on his house around 2 am," Adenola said. "He was arrested and tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release."
Attempts to reach DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya for comment were unsuccessful at the time of this report, as he has not yet responded to a message sent to him.
Lenin, who serves as the National Coordinator for the Youth Rights Campaign, was one of the organizers who expressed disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s recent broadcast during a press briefing. Lenin criticized the President's address, claiming it demonstrated a disconnect with the country's reality.
"We wish to express our sadness and deep disappointment at President Tinubu's latest broadcast, which is his first address to the nation on the #EndBadGovernance protests after over three weeks of mobilization and following the deaths of protesters and assaults on journalists," Lenin said. "Many had requested that the President address the nation when the protest was being mobilized and when it escalated, but we did not expect him to justify state violence against protesters and journalists while dismissing their demands."
Despite his arrest, Lenin called for the protests to continue, urging citizens to come out in large numbers on Monday. "We call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to continue these protests until our demands are met. The violence and repressions are just attempts to silence and control us, and the propaganda cannot sway or fool us," he said.
