JUST IN: Tension As DSS Arrests Top Leader Of #EndBadGovernance Protest, (PHOTO)

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested Michael Lenin, a leader of the ongoing EndBadGovernance protests in the Federal Capital Territory.

Lenin was detained by the DSS around 2 am on Monday at his residence in the Apo area of the FCT. According to Damilare Adenola, Director of Mobilisation for the Take It Back Movement, the DSS raided Lenin’s house and assaulted him during the arrest.

Adenola stated, “Lenin was arrested by the DSS during a raid on his house around 2 am. He was tortured in the presence of his family. We are demanding his immediate and unconditional release.”

Attempts to reach DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya for comment were unsuccessful as he has not responded to messages.

Lenin, the National Coordinator of the Youth Rights Campaign, had recently spoken at a press briefing expressing disappointment with President Bola Tinubu’s address on Sunday. He criticized the President’s response to the protests, stating, “We wish to express our sadness and deep disappointment at the latest broadcast by President Tinubu, his first address to the nation on the #EndBadGovernance protests. It came after over three weeks of mobilization, scores of dead protesters, and assaulted journalists. The President’s broadcast justified state violence against protesters and journalists while dismissing the demands of the protesters.”

Lenin urged citizens to continue protesting, stating, “We call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers on Monday until our demands are met. The two-pronged approach of violence and propaganda has failed. The violence and repression are just attempts to silence and control us, and the propaganda cannot sway or fool us.”