FULL LIST: End Bad Governance in Nigeria Protest Leaders Reportedly Arrested by DSS

Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and security matters.

FCT, Abuja - Nigerian authorities have arrested and detained some of the leaders of the ongoing ‘End Bad Governance in Nigeria’ protests.

The protesters, mostly youths, were arrested by either the police or the Department of State Services (DSS) for taking part in the protests against economic hardship.

In this report, Legit.ng highlights the reportedly arrested persons.

1) Bashir Abubakar

In July, the DSS arrested a Nigerian youth, Bashir Abubakar, who was arrested in Kano, the Kano state capital, over his support for the anti-hardship protest.

At the time, the demonstration was in the planning stage.

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However, Abubakar was released after the DSS allegedly ordered him to bring the T-shirts he printed advertising the planned 'End Bad Governance In Nigeria' nationwide protest.

2) Babatunde Oluajo

On Tuesday, August 6, the Campaign for Democratic and Workers’ Rights, CDWR, called for the unconditional release of Oluajo and other activists arrested by the DSS at the protests.

The group in a statement signed by Bosah Chinedu, its spokesperson, appealed to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), "and other pro-masses organisations to openly condemn this ongoing repression of the protesters".

In the same vein, the Take It Back movement also waded into the reported arrest.

It wrote on its known X handle on Tuesday, August 6:

"#FreeOluajoNow. We demand the immediate release of all #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters!

"The Nigerian government's attempts to quash peaceful demonstrations and silence voices of dissent must cease. Respect our democratic rights and meet our demands."

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3) Adaramoye Michael Lenin

On Monday, August 5, news emerged that DSS operatives arrested Adaramoye Michael Lenin, one of the leaders of the 'End Bad Governance' protests.

Although the DSS said Lenin was not in its custody, Abiodun Sanusi, a journalist and activist, insisted that the secret police invaded Lenin's residence over the night, at about 2:00 am, and "abducted him".

4) Kabir Shehu Yandaki

Last week, the DSS arrested a leader of the protest against bad governance held in Katsina state.

According to local reports, Kabir Shehu Yandaki was invited to the DSS office in Katsina and subsequently detained.

5) Habibu Ruma

Similarly, Habibu Ruma was detained by the secret police in the northwestern state.

Some friends of the detainees (Ruma and Yandaki) who disclosed the development said the DSS contacted the duo by phone on Friday morning, August 2.

They requested their presence at their office to answer questions about the August 1 protest. However, upon arriving at the Katsina DSS headquarters, they were reportedly detained.

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As of the time of this report, Messrs Ruma and Yandaki are still held.

Read more on ongoing Nigerian hardship protests

• End bad governance: Fear of foreign interference as protesters wave Russian flags, photos emerge
• Lagos police react to reports it banned protest after Tinubu’s broadcast
• NLC reacts to reports of alleged suspension of hardship protests
• End bad governance: Pro-protest lawyer tells Tinubu what to do to ‘quell anger’

Protest: Professor Kperogi identifies ‘sponsors’

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a Nigerian-American media scholar and newspaper columnist, Professor Farooq Kperogi, said the root causes of the nationwide protest are principally the astronomical hike in the cost of basic amenities like food.

Prof. Kperogi in his weekly column asserted that 'the sensation of hopelessness that overcomes the masses is a big force' for their protest.

Kperogi admitted that opposition politicians are taking advantage of the “mass discontent” to cripple the Bola Tinubu government and “delegitimise it for their self-interest”, but the professor described it as legal.

Source: Legit.ng