Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Adaramoye Michael, aka Lenin, a prominent leader of the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Lenin was reportedly detained at around 2 a.m. on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT.
According to the Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, Lenin’s home was raided by DSS operatives, who allegedly assaulted him during the arrest.
Lenin, the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign, has been a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
At a recent press briefing, Lenin expressed disappointment with President Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday, describing it as disconnected from the realities faced by Nigerians.
He announced that the protests would continue, urging citizens to join in the movement.
Lenin’s arrest comes in the wake of his strong criticism of the President’s speech, which he labeled as an exercise in gaslighting and manipulation.
Lenin argued that the protests are a lawful response to the government’s failure to address systemic injustices after over 14 months in power.
He dismissed the President’s claims that the protests are politically motivated attempts to destabilize the country, calling these assertions baseless.
“These protests were mobilised by the flagrant extravagance of political office holders in Nigeria for the past 14 months while asking Nigerians to be patient in our hunger and hardship—which they claim to be our sacrifice for the nation,” Lenin stated.
“It is almost better for the President to have kept silent than make this kind of broadcast in which he continued his attitude of ignoring the legitimate grievances of the Nigerian people, by delegitimizing our protests as politically motivated.”
At the press briefing in Abuja, Lenin emphasized that the President’s address to the nation demonstrated a significant disconnect from the realities on the ground.
“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 mobilizing to take to the streets and after scores of dead protesters and assaulted journalists from the first three days of the protests,” he said.
Lenin called on Nigerians to continue the protests, emphasizing that both violence and propaganda have failed to suppress the movement.
“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 declared.
