Just when you think there are no new depths left to plumb for the regime of President Bola Tinubu, they go and outdo themselves. Nigeria’s secret police (the DSS) has arrested a Marxist and activist Kola Edokpayi allegedly over his role in organising a rally in support of Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The rally took place last Thursday as part of Pan-African support for Traore, who it appears Western powers are scheming to eliminate by all means necessary. Pan-African activist Sahel Revolutionary Soldier took to Twitter to provide the context: “In recent weeks, Captain Traoré has emerged as a symbol of defiance and African sovereignty, particularly among youth and grassroots movements. The arrest of Edokpayi has sparked concern among civil society groups, who see it as a crackdown on free expression and solidarity with a fellow African nation. As pressure intensifies on Burkina Faso and its allies, the response from everyday Africans is becoming louder: Africa must stand together or remain divided”.
Kola Edokpayi
Readers may wonder why Tinubu should be concerned about Nigerians rallying in support of Traore. The Nigerian president has spent 59 days over eight different visits to France since he came to power in 2023. His closeness to French president Emmanuel Macron should be of concern to Nigerians, especially as former French colonies like Burkina Faso under Traore are trying to wean themselves from French neo-colonial control. We warned in December last year about the nature of the relationship between Tinubu and Macron, taking account of the historical context of the French relationship with Africa.
Tinubu and Macron: A bromance that will bring more pain for Nigeria
Edokpayi was arrested yesterday (Saturday 3 May) in Benin with five others. He is the leader of the Talakawa Parliament and his arrest has been met with outrage by many civil society groups.
