#EndBadGovernance – End State Oppression
Drop Trumped-up Charges and Release all Detainees Now
We Call for Solidarity from NLC, TUC and Civil Society Organisations
Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) demands the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of charges against Adaramoye Michael Lenin, Mosiu Sodiq, Daniel Akande, Bashir Bello and others who have been arraigned across the country in connection with #EndBadGovernance protests of August 1 to August 10. We also demand the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals arrested also as a result of the August protests but who have not been yet charged to court. For instance in Abuja, out of over 100 detainees, only 11 have been charged to court. Others have been languishing in Kuje prison and detention facility of the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Abuja without trial for close to two months. There is also Khaleed Aminu who has been in custody of the DSS without trial since the first week of August.
The charges levelled against Michael Lenin and 10 others are trumped-up and fabricated, aimed at stifling dissent and suppressing protests against economic hardship and social crisis as a result of the anti-poor economic and political decisions of the Tinubu government. For instance, one of the ridiculous charges is treason, which carries death penalty, for merely carrying placards with the inscription “End Bad Government”.
Michael Lenin, National Coordinator of the YRC was arrested and blindfolded together with Sodiq in the wee hours of August 5 by the operatives of National Intelligence Agency on the order of Nuhu Ribadu National Security Adviser to President Bola Tinubu.
Though Michael and 9 others were granted bail on September 11 by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja after having spent about six weeks in incarceration, as of September 29, only three of the detainees had been released. This is because the bail conditions are stringent. These conditions, which require a surety each with property in Abuja and N10 million, not only reflect a troubling disregard for the fundamental rights of ordinary people but also reveal a judiciary system that does not care a hoot about the legitimate grievances expressed by the Nigerian populace in the August protest, particularly regarding the worsening economic hardship and mass hunger.
In other words, it is a bail which does not guarantee freedom for those have been subjected to injustice by Tinubu government as it is difficult to meet the financial demands of the conditions. In addition to Michael Lenin and Sodiq, others granted bail are Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon, Angel Love Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Bashir Bello (aka Murtala), Nuradeen Khamis, Abdulsalam Zubairu. Daniel Akande who had been in IRT detention since September 2, was arraigned and joined with Michael and others on September 27 to become the 11th defendant and subsequently transferred to Kuje Prison.
The trial of the #EndBadGovernance protesters highlights a glaring hypocrisy within the legal system. Corrupt politicians and other members of the thieving elite accused of serious offences often receive lenient bail conditions that starkly contrast with those imposed on ordinary citizens. They are usually granted bail with conditions that do not reflect the severity of their alleged crimes. This disparity underscores a systemic bias that favours the rich ruling elite who steal public wealth but penalises ordinary people for exercising their democratic rights.
We also call on the police and other security operatives to stop the constant harassment of President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero and desist from illegal surveillance and the planned arrest of socialist and left activists based in Abuja and elsewhere across the country. We also demand the unfreezing of bank accounts of activists and organizations which have been barred in connection with #EndBadGovernance protest. Labour and pro-masses’ organizations should support these demands. Enough is enough for the atmosphere of intimidation and repression by Tinubu government. Its descent to civil dictatorship must be resisted.
We call on the labour movement, especially leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), civil society organizations and human rights groups to practically lend weight and voice to ensuring that those who have been granted bail regain freedom and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all in different detention facilities in connection with the #EndBadGovernance protest.
We specifically charge NLC President Joe Ajaero to walk the talk he made during a visit to the new President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) as he was reported to have “reaffirmed the NLC’s commitment to working alongside the NBA in promoting the rights of workers and all Nigerians” (Punch, September 14). The NLC must ensure that all those arrested and detained over #EndBadGovernance protest are released.
It should be realised that Tinubu government is using the detention of activists involved in August protest and attacks on democratic rights to serve as deterrent to another mass protest against anti-poor neo-liberal policies which have had a devastating effect on the living standards of the vast majority. Therefore, working people and youth must fight for the freedom of detained protesters and prepare to join any future protest against Tinubu anti-poor policies.