Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Michael Lenin, a prominent leader of the ongoing EndBadGovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Lenin was apprehended around 2 a.m. on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT.
Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, provided details of the incident. “Lenin has been arrested by the DSS. He was picked up during a raid on his house around 2 a.m. He was arrested and tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release,” Adenola stated.
The DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report and has yet to respond to a message sent to him.
Michael Lenin, who also serves as the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign, had been vocal about his dissatisfaction with President Bola Tinubu’s recent broadcast addressing the protests. At a press briefing, Lenin criticized the President’s response, saying, “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 of mobilizing, and after scores of dead protesters and assaulted journalists, the President’s speech only justified state violence on protesters and journalists while dismissing the demands of the protesters.”
Lenin further condemned the President’s efforts to incorporate the language of the protests into his speech, claiming it was a failed attempt to align with the protesters’ radical and progressive ideals. “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 remarked.
Despite his arrest, Lenin urged citizens to continue the protests. “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 said.
The arrest of Lenin has intensified the resolve of protesters, who continue to rally against what they see as systemic failures and governance issues under President Tinubu’s administration.
