The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested an Edo-based activist and five others in connection with a planned solidarity rally for Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The arrests reportedly took place in the early hours of Saturday in Benin City, the Edo State capital, following intelligence gathered by the DSS on what authorities described as a “potential threat to national security and public order.” The rally, initially scheduled to hold at a public square in the city, was intended to show support for Captain Traoré's populist and anti-imperialist stance in West African politics.
According to sources familiar with the operation, the arrested individuals were allegedly coordinating with pan-African movements and had disseminated rally materials both online and offline. DSS operatives are said to be interrogating the group over possible links to foreign political interests and the implications of their activities on Nigeria’s diplomatic relations and internal cohesion.
A spokesperson for the DSS, who declined to be named, confirmed the arrests but declined to provide further details, citing ongoing investigations. “We are monitoring subversive elements that may exploit foreign ideological movements to destabilize peace within our borders,” the official said.
Civil society groups and human rights advocates have condemned the arrests, calling them “an assault on freedom of expression and assembly.” Local and international human rights organizations are reportedly mobilizing legal support and demanding the immediate release of the detained individuals.