Micheal Lenin, one of the leaders of the ongoing Endbadgovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has been reportedly arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS.
According to Damilare Adenola, the Director of Mobilisation, Take It Back Movement, DSS operatives stormed the activist’s residence in the Apo area at about 2 am on Monday and arrested him after allegedly assaulting him.
“Lenin has been arrested by the DSS. He was picked up during a raid on his house around 2am,” Ademola disclosed.
“He was arrested and tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.”
Lenin is the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign and one of the organisers of the protests.
He had earlier expressed his disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday, saying showed that the president was out of touch with reality in the country,
“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 mobilising to take to the streets and after scores of dead protesters and assaulted journalists from the first three days of the protests,” Lenin said.
“Many had requested that the President should just address the nation when the protest was being mobilised and when it started to escalate, but most of us did not know that the President would only justify state violence on protesters and journalists while dismissing the demands of the protesters whenever he decides to speak.
“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.
“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.”
However, Peter Afunanya, the DSS spokesperson, is yet to respond to the claims as at the time of filing this report.
The #EndBadGovernance protests against the economic hardship in the country, which drew huge crowds nationwide, has entered its fifth day with no signs of abating, as the protesters rejected President Tinubu’s Sunday national broadcast for failing to address their demands.