On Tuesday 27 August 2024 the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) held a press conference at the International Press Centre (IPC) Ogba, Lagos, over the arrest and continued detention without trial of the YRC National Coordinator, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, along with Mosiu Sodiq, as well as many others arrested in connection with the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest of August 1-10, 2024.
Below we publish the opening words of the press conference by Francis Nwapa, National Secretary, Youth Rights Campaign.
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We are here today to update the public about new developments surrounding the ongoing illegal incarceration of Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq and others arrested in connection with the recent #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria.
Adaramoye Michael Lenin is a socialist, consistent youth activist and the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC). Today makes it 22 days since he was arrested together with Mosiu Sodiq and others in the dead of the night by a team of operatives from the Department of State Security (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) on 5 August 2024. During and after the arrest, he and others were blindfolded and driven round before they were dumped in the detention facility of the notorious Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT). Apparently, their abductors never wanted the public to know their whereabouts. They have been since then held incommunicado and without trial.
Meanwhile, as it is now public knowledge, the Nigerian police approached the Federal High Court on Thursday 22 August 2024 to obtain an interim order to remand Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Sodiq and others by 60 days pending a so-called investigation into alleged terrorism, treason, and other serious offences. Justice Emeka Nwite equally ordered that some of the suspects, who are minors in the applications, be remanded in Borstal Home of the correctional centre, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
As far as we are concerned, this ex parte order granted by the learned judge is nothing but a mockery of the judiciary and rule of law. First not only did the police fail to present any evidence whatsoever to prove that it has any legitimate reason to continue to hold the suspects, also none of the detained activists were produced in court apparently to hide from public view the terrible state they are in as a result of the torture, sleep deprivation and other abuses they have been subjected to in the custody of the Police. Since their arrest, they have not been allowed access to family members or their lawyers. In fact, from information available to us, Mosiu Sodiq is critically ill and in need of urgent medical attention which he is being currently denied. However, we are happy to announce that our team of lawyers led by the indefatigable Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and Mr. Olumide Adeyinka-Fusika (SAN) have already filed actions to set aside the interim order and to insist on the respect of the fundamental rights of these detainees under the law.
PROTEST IS NOT EQUAL TO TREASON
It has now become crystal clear that the Nigerian State wishes to rope Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq and others into a contrived case of a Russian plot to topple President Tinubu’s government. As far as we are concerned, this a ridiculous and disingenuous accusation against our comrade Adaramoye Michael Lenin.
Firstly, while we do not hold to the belief that holding the flag of any country automatically constitutes a crime, yet it needs to be pointed out that Michael was not arrested with a Russian flag neither was he ever pictured at any of the protests holding one. Secondly, Michael is a socialist and revolutionary who opposes the inequitable system of capitalism and all oppression. His life goal is to fight for a democratic and socialist Nigeria wherein the wealth of the country can be democratically planned and judiciously used to make life better for the vast majority of the people who are currently wallowing in a state of misery despite the abundance of wealth that exist to make life better for all. Adaramoye Michael Lenin is also an internationalist – by this, it means he is against all oppression in Africa and the world. To therefore in any way suggest that such an individual could support let alone have any deal with the despotic and oppressive Putin regime in Russia is an indication of the disingenuousness of this false allegation by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu and the Nigerian Police.
However, these false and ridiculous allegations have a clear goal. It is an attempt to equate protest with treason in order to obtain the necessary legal, political and moral justification for the ongoing repression against the #EndBadGovernance protest. At least over 2,000 protesters are currently languishing in detention across the country. This is aside over 40 who were shot dead by security forces during the protest itself.
Sadly, this equation of protest with treason holds ominous consequences for democratic rights, civic space and our collective future as a nation. It means for instance that President Tinubu is by virtue of this political trial criminalizing any current or future protests against his anti-poor policies as inimical to national security and a threat to the country’s sovereignty.
Never since the dark days of military despotism have we seen this level of authoritarianism. As we speak, bank accounts of Non-Governmental Organisations, activists, lawyers and journalists have been placed under ban over false allegations of terrorism funding. Many journalists and activists are being arrested while some are disappearing in shady circumstances. Of course, we are all aware of the criminal invasion of the National Headquarter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) a few weeks ago and now the police invitation of the Congress President, Joe Ajaero, for questioning over allegations of financing terrorism. Also mobile phones and computers belonging to activists and journalists are being bugged while a criminal surveillance network have been deployed to spy on civil society organizations, journalists, trade unions and any group whatsoever that dares to question the anti-poor policies of the government or defend the rights of citizens.
TIME TO TAKE A STAND
There are no two ways to describe it – what we are witnessing today is a budding civilian dictatorship. We therefore hereby urge all progressive organisations, unions and groups devoted to civil liberty to join us to demand a halt to this slide into despotism. Our demands are as follows:
- Immediate release of Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq and all those currently detained in connection with the #EndBadGovernance protest.
- Guarantee and respect of the right of the detainees to receive visitation from their families, friends and lawyers.
- Halt to the denial of Mosiu Sodiq and a few of the detainees who are reportedly critically ill of access to medical care. To continue to deny a sick detainee medical attention is a crime under international law. We insist that nothing must happen to the detainees in custody.
- An appeal to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to dispatch a medical team to visit the detainees at the IRT in order to ascertain the true state of their health and provide speedy medical attention in order to save their lives.
- The release of all journalists and bloggers currently in detention.
- Unbanning of bank accounts and halt to other acts of intimidation of activists, journalists, NGOs and Civil Society Organisations and general on-going attacks on democratic rights.
- Establishment of a probe panel democratically-constituted by elected representatives of professional groups like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), youth groups, trade unions and the media to investigate the immediate and remote cause of the violence and vandalism that occurred in some parts of the country during the August 1-10 protest.
- President Tinubu should meet the demands of the August 1-10 protest failing which the Nigerian youth and the oppressed masses will have no choice but to again exercise their democratic right to peaceful protests against annihilating economic and political policies and actions.
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