• Lament inhumane treatment of detainees
Youth Rights Campaign (YRC), yesterday, called for the immediate release of their National Coordinator, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, and others arrested in connection with the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.
Speaking at a media briefing held at the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos, YRC condemned the continued detention of the activists, describing it as a “mockery of the judiciary and the rule of law.”
The group also criticised government’s attempt to equate protest with treason, saying it was an “ominous consequence for democratic rights, civic space, and our collective future as a nation.”
National Secretary of YRC, Francis Nwapa, lamented that Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, and others had been held incommunicado and without trial for 22 days.
He added that they were arrested by operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and had been subjected to torture, sleep deprivation and other abuses.
“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.
“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 currently being denied.
“Michael was neither arrested with a Russian flag nor was he ever pictured at any of the protests holding one. Secondly, Michael is a socialist and revolutionary, who oppose the inequitable system of capitalism and all oppression.”
The YRC demanded the release of all detainees, access to medical care for those critically ill, and an end to the denial of visitation rights to families, friends, and lawyers.
They also called for a probe panel to investigate the violence and vandalism that occurred during the protest and for President Bola Tinubu to meet the demands of the protesters.
YRC described the current situation as a “budding civilian dictatorship” and urged all progressive organisations, unions, and groups devoted to civil liberty to join them in demanding a halt to the slide into despotism.
YRC also expressed concern about the targeting of journalists and bloggers, saying it was a “clear attempt to silence dissenting voices.”
In her remarks, the mother of the detained Lenin, Adaramoye Adenike, begged the government to release his son and other protesters held in detention since August 5.
National Coordinator, Education Rights Campaign, Hassan Soweto, maintained that the association was committed to seeking liberation of the oppressed, assuring that more protests would come if government failed to address the demands by youths.
