Disappearing voices [part 1]: Silent abductions of EndBadGovernance protesters in Abuja, Kano, Sokoto

THE ICIR

ON August 1, 2024, many Nigerians took to the streets to protest President Bola Tinubu’s policies and the hardship affecting the livelihoods of millions of households. However, they were met with resistance from the government and security operatives. In this report, The ICIR tracked down 15 victims of arbitrary police arrests and abductions, across Abuja, Kano, and Sokoto, to document their plights, while also speaking with some of their family members about these individuals’ personalities.

The second part of this report would be linked HERE

The array of the sun at the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) premises cast a harsh glow on Daniel Akande’s face. Seated under a tree shade, his posture slumped with a mix of sadness and suspicion. His eyes appeared sunken and tired when The ICIR reporter posed as his brother to gain entry into the police intelligence Response Team (IRT) office in Abuja and speak with him about his plights. Beside him were his wife, Esther, and sister (name withheld). Both were attending to Akande’s only son, while repeatedly glancing at his investigating police officer (IPO), standing nearby.

Akande was in the middle of a Sunday service with his wife and his one-year-old son, on September 1, just 21 days after the EndBadGovernance that shook the entire country, when a man, with plaited hair moved towards him and suddenly grabbed him by his collar.

The mood in the Church, which had earlier been filled with the sounds of the congregation, shifted as Akande struggled to fight off the man’s hand from his neck. However, his efforts proved abortive as the man, firmly declared that he was being arrested for an alleged murder. At that point, Akande’s wife felt helpless. She looked around desperately for help from the Church members, but the officers already had her husband by the arms.

His arrest followed a chillingly consistent pattern: protesters of the #EndBadGovernance movement, which took place in many states across Nigeria between August 1 and 10, were often singled out after being identified as vocal participants or organisers.

They were typically abducted either in the dead of night or in a coordinated manner. Some were taken directly from their homes, while others went missing after protests or during encounters with security forces. In many cases, families and friends raised the alarm about these unlawful arrests on social media, sometimes hours or even days later.

Akande was one of the protesters who were arrested and are now facing treasonable charges. Beyond that, he belongs to some youth movement that boasts of holding the government to account and protesting against some of the economic policies of Bola Tinubu’s administration. But that was all he said about his contribution during the demonstrations.

Despite that, Akande spent 27 days at the IRT office in Abuja, before he was charged to court on September 28. On September 17, about 17 days after his arrest, Akande celebrated his 31st birthday in the cell, with several EndBadGovernance protesters. When he was first taken into police custody, he was kept incommunicado from his loved ones and lawyers until five days later when his wife would be allowed to see him.

“While at the IRT, nobody mentioned any murder case to me. Most of the questions they grilled me revolved around EndBadGovernance and who our sponsors were as if we had any. Nigerians are the sponsors of this protest, and that’s because of the economic policies [sic],” he said.

He would later spend 16 days in prison before he regained freedom under bail.

Akande was not alone. Across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Kano, and Sokoto, over 1,000 young persons were arrested and abducted by security operatives, including children and citizens who had nothing to do with the protest.

The movement, which gained momentum in the first few days of August, began as a collective outcry against biting hardships, unfriendly economic policies, and rising insecurity. However, for many families, it turned into a nightmare and the little they had for sustenance is now being channelled to secure the release of their loved ones.

It was past evening prayer when *Hassan’s (name changed) family last heard from him. He had gone to his usual makeshift shop near the Sokoto State government house, where he sells newspapers and other small provisions.

That day, protests were ongoing in the city, and like many others in the state, Usman was caught in the chaos that unfolded. The police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, and in the ensuing panic, people scattered in all directions.

However, Hassan, who was only tending to his business beside his goods, found himself dragged into a police van. The officer seized the kola nuts he was holding, and his newspapers were thrown to the ground.

He was consequently taken to the State CID office, where he, alongside dozens of others, was locked up. “That was how they took me and other people to the State CID office and locked us up. An elderly man near my shop took my belongings and kept them for me,” he said.

That night, his family became worried when he didn’t return home at his usual time. It wasn’t until later that they learned he had been arrested during the police crackdown on protesters.

The next day, the detainees, including Hassan, were presented before a mobile court hastily set up at the police station. There, the magistrate declared that each of them had to pay a fine of about N130,000 for their release. “Those who were able to pay the money were released, while those of us who couldn’t were left there before we were later transferred to prison, where I spent six days,” Hassan narrated.

Hassan, a father of seven children, spent a gruelling six days in prison under very dire conditions. Although he mentioned that he wasn’t subjected to physical abuse during his time in both the police cell and the prison, he did experience emotional and psychological distress.

“It was after six days that my family and relatives were able to contribute N130,000 to pay for my bail. Throughout my six days in prison, I was just thinking about my family, as I have one wife and seven children. You see this small business of mine, I just thank God,” Hassan said, with tearful eyes and a breaking voice.

In Sokoto alone, the state police command estimated that 89 citizens branded as ‘suspected vandals’ were arrested on the first day of the protests and remanded in prison custody by a mobile court during its sessions on Thursday, August 1, and Friday, August 2, at the state police command.

Human rights activists and lawyers stated that about 80 of these individuals were abducted and tried illegally by the state government following the protests. The total number is difficult to quantify, as some victims’ families are too scared to come forward.

However, what is clear is that these abductions were part of a broader strategy to quell dissenting voices in the country.