Aliyu Sanusi has been arrested in Sokoto State by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly producing and disseminating materials concerning imminent demonstrations.
On Monday evening, the Sama Road locality of Sokoto witnessed an arrest made by authorities. The aforementioned occurrence was reported on social media through human rights advocate Omoyele Sowore’s account.
Renowned for spearheading the #RevolutionNow campaign and his participation in AAC’s presidential bid during 2019 and subsequently, 2023, Sowore has demanded that Sanusi be released promptly. He condemned the DSS’s actions by denouncing them as “unlawful.”
Sowore declared in his post that Aliyu Sanusi was apprehended by the unruly @OfficialDSSNG within Sokoto state for producing and circulating #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria materials. He was seized yesterday evening from the Sama Road Area of Sokoto. The DSS has been instructed to set Aliyu Sanusi free without delay.
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Another young Nigerian, Bashir Abubakar, was just recently released from detention in Kano for promoting a planned nationwide protest against economic hardship. The current arrest is a result of this release.
It was reported by Barrister Harun Magashi, previously Sowore’s running mate in the 2023 elections and Abubakar’s lawyer, that upon his release on Monday, Abubakar had been instructed by the DSS to return any T-shirts he printed for use during the protest.
The DSS has faced criticism from multiple sources due to their actions, resulting in demands for the immediate release of people who have been apprehended while exercising their right to demonstrate.