Paul Murphy, an Irish Member of Parliament representing Dublin South-West, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Adaramoye Michael (Lenin) and other #EndBadGovernance protesters detained by the administration of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
According to Amnesty International Nigeria, over 2,000 protesters were arrested across Nigeria during the 10-day nationwide protests against hunger and misgovernance. Despite this, Murphy noted in a statement on Thursday that these protesters have been held for over 20 days without being charged in court, indicating that the government lacks a legitimate case against them.
Murphy, who previously served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2011 to 2014, emphasized that the ongoing repression endangers the lives of socialists and human rights activists in Nigeria. He urged the Nigerian government to halt the repression and meet the demands of the protesters.
In his statement, Murphy joined the international call for an end to the attacks on the democratic rights of socialists and #EndBadGovernance protesters in Nigeria. He highlighted that the protests were driven by widespread inflation, rising food costs, insecurity, and mass hunger that have plagued the country since Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
The protests escalated when police responded with teargas and live bullets, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people and the detention of more than 2,000 individuals at various police facilities nationwide. Social media was flooded with disturbing images of unarmed protesters being shot and political thugs attacking peaceful demonstrators.
Murphy further criticized President Tinubu for his dismissive response to the protests during his nationwide broadcast on August 4, where he called for an end to the demonstrations without addressing the protesters’ demands. In retaliation, activists called for further protests, leading to intensified government crackdowns on socialists and activists.
The wave of repression continued when, around 1:40 AM on August 5, a combined security force invaded the homes of Adaramoye Michael, Mosiu Sodiq, and Babatunde Oluajo (OSB), abducting them under the orders of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. While Oluajo was released a few days later, others have remained in illegal detention for over 20 days.
The situation worsened on August 7, when Nigerian police raided the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and ransacked a bookshop, seizing all its books. This was followed by a police summons issued to the President of the NLC and the owner of Stars of Nations Schools, accusing them of “Criminal Conspiracy, Terrorism Financing, Treasonable Felony, Subversion, and Cybercrime,” despite their lawyers’ requests for more time.
On August 21, a group of police officers broke into the home of Drew Povey, the owner of Iva Valley Books. Murphy warned that with the ongoing repression, the lives of socialists and human rights activists in Nigeria are at risk, with many forced into hiding to avoid arrest and torture.
Murphy concluded by demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Adaramoye Michael, Mosiu Sodiq, Eleojo Opaluwa, Angel Innocent, and all other protesters detained unlawfully. He stressed that the regime’s failure to arraign them in court after 20 days of detention shows it has no case against them.
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