There are reports of heavy security presence in Abuja on the heels of operatives of the Department of State Services arresting one of the leaders of the ongoing Endbadgovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory, Micheal Lenin
By Emma Ogbuehi
There are reports of heavy security presence in Abuja on the heels of operatives of the Department of State Services arresting one of the leaders of the ongoing Endbadgovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory, Micheal Lenin.
Lenin was picked by the DSS around 2 am on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT.
The Director of Mobilisation, Take It Back Movement, Damilare Adenola, said Lenin’s house was raided by the DSS, according to reports by the Punch.
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.“
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His arrest comes as the military and related agencies of the state are said to have built heavy security cordon around the Eagles Square. An Abuja senior journalist who spoke with our correspondent, painted a picture of concern and apprehension over the intimidating number of soldiers and other security personnel stationed at the entrance and around the Square.
“The security presence is quite intimidating. You would think that the country is at war or there is any pronounced security alert. Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), are stationed around the Eagles Square and other sections of the city. We have asked our reporters and other workers to be careful in going about their duties”, he stated.
President Bola Tinubu, in trying to halt the protest which had seen businesses destroyed or looted in some parts of the country, had made a nationwide broadcast on Sunday in which he assured the protesters that he had heard their complaints and would do something about them. Many, including the renowned playwright, Prof Wole Soyinka, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, had picked holes in the address. While Soyinka frowned that the president was silent on the police brutality against the protesters, Atiku dismissed it as hollow and lacking in substance.
Even the protesters alleged that the President did not show any commitment to the issues they raised, hence their decision to continue with the agitation.
Lenin, 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.”
