Operatives of the Department of State Services have arrested Micheal Lenin, one of the leaders of the ongoing Endbadgovernance protests in Abuja
Lenin was picked up by the DSS around 2 am on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT.
Speaking with PUNCH, the Director of Mobilisation, Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, said Lenin’s house was raided by the DSS.
He alleged that the DSS also assaulted him during his arrest.
Adenola said, “ Lenin has been arrested by the DSS. He was picked up during a raid on his house around 2am.
“He was arrested and tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.“
The DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
He has yet to respond to a message sent to him.
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Lenin, who is the National Coordinator, of the Youth Rights Campaign, was one of the organisers who spoke at a press briefing expressing disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday.
At the briefing, he said the President’s broadcast demonstrated that he is out of touch with reality in the country.
He said, “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.
“ 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.“
Lenin, however, said the protest would continue massively on Monday, calling on the citizens to come out in large numbers.
He said, “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.”
Solomon Odeniyi
The PUNCH journalist, Solomon, has five years experience covering crime, judiciary and defence beats.