Men from the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Michael Lenin, said to be one of the leaders of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The activist, resident in Apo, was reportedly arrested in his house by DSS operatives at about 2 am on Monday, in the presence of his family.
The Director of Mobilisation, Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, who disclosed this to newsmen, said Lenin has been under surveillance by the security agencies for his role in the ongoing hunger protest and demonstrations against bad governance.
Adenola said, “He was arrested in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.”
Lenin had faulted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday. At a briefing in Abuja, Lenin opined that Tinubu’s address to the nation meant ‘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.
“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.”
In view of the above, DSS operatives on Monday night allegedly stormed his house and arrested him.
Credit: The Sun