On June 3 in Lagos, agents of the Nigerian military government's State Security Service (SSS) arrested Segun Aderemi, a prominent democratic rights campaigner and lawyer.
His arrest was part of a wave of arrests throughout the country designed to stall protests called for June 4, the second anniversary of the assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, and June 12, the fifth anniversary of the annulled 1993 presidential election.
Among those arrested were Chief Arthur Nwanaoi, the leader of the Eastern Mandate Union — the main pro-democracy movement in eastern Nigeria — and Udenta Udenta, the EMU publicity secretary.
They join a long list of activists detained without trial, including Moshood Abiola, the winner of the 1993 presidential election, and oil workers' union leaders Frank Kokori and Milton Dabibi.
Aderemi is being held at the SSS headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos. The SSS has refused legal and family access, and prevented food and toiletries being passed on — normal SSS treatment for political prisoners.
Aderemi is 40 years old and married, with two children. He has been an active socialist since the late 1970s. He is national secretary of the Joint Action Committee (JACON) Program and Mobilisation Committee. JACON is a broad pro-democracy coalition set up on April 29. Aderemi is also chief education officer of the Lagos state National Conscience Party.
On June 8, following the sudden death of Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha, the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM) demanded that the country's new ruler release political detainees and restore trade union rights. In particular, the ICEM called for the immediate release of Kokori and Dabibi.
On June 5, Kokori and Dabibi were among an "alternative Nigerian 11" represented by protesters in Amsterdam during a pre-World Cup soccer match between the Netherlands and Nigeria. Dutch personalities and Nigerian human rights campaigners wore T-shirts bearing the photos of 11 detained Nigerian democracy activists.
The protesters included Lodewijk de Waal, president of the Dutch trade union confederation FNV, Owens Wiwa, brother of the executed writer and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, and Wura Abiola, daughter of Moshood and Kudirat Abiola.
Until the last minute, Nigerian football officials threatened to cancel the match unless the demonstration was banned. The protests were televised in the Netherlands, Nigeria and many other countries. The top news story on Dutch TV and radio that evening was the demonstration and a pre-match press conference.
Protests demanding the immediate release of Aderemi, Kokori, Dabibi and other detainees should be sent to: Nigerian High Commission, Terrigal Circuit, O'Malley ACT 2606, telephone (02) 6286 1322; and the Provisional Ruling Council, State House, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, Fax: 234 9 523 0394/0210.
Please send copies of all protests to: PO Box 496, Agege, Lagos, Nigeria; and JACON, 35 Adeniran Ajao Road, Ajao Estate, Anthony Village, Lagos, Nigeria.