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August 19, 2024
SaharaReporters reported on Saturday that Lenin who was arrested on August 5, for his involvement in the recently concluded 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests would be arraigned in court by the Nigerian government on trumped-up charges alongside other activists on Monday.
A pro-democracy group Take It Back Movement (TIB) has slammed the Nigeria Police Force for postponing the arraignment of #EndBadGovernance protesters.
Meanwhile, a large contingent of security personnel was deployed to the Federal High Court complex in Abuja on Monday, as the federal government prepared to arraign rights activist, Michael Adaramoye (also known as Michael Lenin), and other protesters associated with the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
SaharaReporters reported on Saturday that Lenin who was arrested on August 5, for his involvement in the recently concluded 10-day #EndBadGovernance protests would be arraigned in court by the Nigerian government on trumped-up charges alongside other activists on Monday.
Take-It-Back Movement confirmed this on Saturday, adding that Nigerians should be in court on Monday to offer solidarity.
Also, in a statement released on Sunday via their X account, TIB announced that its members would occupy the court premises starting at 7am to show support for the protesters.
However, in a statement on Monday, the group condemned the postponement of the arraignment by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, describing it as a show of incompetence and the challenges of criminalising protests.
TIB Movement said, "The postponement of #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters' arraignment again expose police incompetence and the challenges of criminalising protests, as lawyers still await specific charges. Protests cannot be criminalised!"
An activist who was present in court to witness the arraignment said: "The Nigerian Authorities have refused to arraign Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq and Eleojo Opaluwa at the Federal High Court today.
"The trio has been in illegal detention for two weeks now, under the directive of Mr Nuhu Ribadu, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and present National Security Adviser to President Tinubu.
“Instead of releasing them, the federal government wastefully used public money to transport the army, police and DSS to court because of planned solidarity protests by Nigerians at the Federal High Court in Abuja,” a statement signed by by Francis Nwapa, National Secretary, Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) and Publicity Secretary of RSM, Salako Kayode on Monday said.
SaharaReporters had reported that Lenin and Sodiq were arrested during a raid on popular activist Babatunde Oluajo, known widely as OSB Sankara’s residence around 2am on August 5, by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Global human rights organisation, Amnesty International had condemned in strongest terms, the continuous arbitrary detention of the protesters.
SaharaReporters observed heavy deployment of security agents around the court on Monday morning.