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Comrade Kola Edokpayi, a Marxist activist and leader of the Talakawa Parliament, was detained by Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS) agents in Benin City, Edo State, in connection with a planned Pan-African solidarity protest in support of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the revolutionary leader of Burkina Faso.

Pan-Africanists, civil society activists, and rights organizations throughout the continent are outraged by the contentious arrest, which happened on Saturday, May 3, 2025. They have called it an attack on fundamental rights and a clear act of political repression.

A source close to Edokpayi discussed the events leading up to his arrest in an interview with SaharaReporters.

“He made arrangements for a solidarity rally. The Commissioner of Police called him a day before the rally and held a meeting with him to call it off. He complied and dispatched people to cancel the protest. But DSS and police operatives later stormed his office, broke in, and arrested about six people. Four were released, but they detained him and one other member.”

In solidarity of Captain Traoré’s strong stand against French neocolonial influence in West Africa, organizers said the planned event was a part of a larger continental mobilization.

Similar gatherings were planned for South Africa and Ghana, among other nations.

The Take It Back Movement (TIB) chapter in Edo State responded to the arrest with a forceful statement calling for Edokpayi’s unconditional and immediate release.

“Comrade Edokpayi was arrested for expressing solidarity with the government of Burkina Faso led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. This blatant act of political repression is not only unlawful but a direct attack on the constitutional rights of Nigerian citizens,” the statement read in part.

“He has consistently mobilised the masses under the platform of the Talakawa Parliament, a grassroots movement that champions the rights of ordinary Nigerians against elite exploitation.”

Comrade Hafiz Lawal, TIB’s Edo State Coordinator, signed the statement, which also called the arrest “morally reprehensible and legally indefensible.” The group accused Nigerian security forces of using the state as a weapon against dissident voices.

“Freedom of thought, expression, and association are guaranteed under Sections 38, 39, and 40 of the 1999 Constitution. His show of support for Captain Ibrahim Traoré does not in any way justify his arrest,” the group insisted.

One Pan-African activist stated: “Arresting Marxist Kola Edokpayi for a proposed solidarity walk in support of Ibrahim Traoré is totally uncalled for. Pan-Africanism shouldn’t be killed; it’s supposed to be encouraged by all African countries and leaders. I remember Gaddafi, a true Pan-Africanist, who was betrayed by fellow Africans used by Western powers. Kola has done nothing wrong for standing for Africa. He must be released.”

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