Prominent activists and comrades across Nigeria have expressed deep sorrow over the death of veteran revolutionary and Pan-Africanist, Comrade Abiodun Aremu, popularly known as Aremson, who reportedly died after being hit by a hit-and-run driver.
The news of Aremu’s death, which broke late Sunday, has sent shockwaves through the activist community, with many describing him as one of Nigeria’s most consistent and fearless defenders of justice, democracy, and freedom.
Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, described the late Aremu as a revolutionary mentor whose courage and wisdom shaped generations of activists.
“Sad to hear that our revolutionary senior comrade and mentor, Abiodun Aremu, has passed away. We will deeply miss his courage, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to justice and liberation of the African continent. May his soul rest in power, and may his legacy continue to inspire the struggle for a freer, fairer, and just world,” Sowore wrote.
Similarly, scholar and writer, Dr. Oladotun Odebowale, who fondly referred to Aremu as “Chief Priest,” recalled meeting him during the military era when he was a frontline activist on the barricades.
“He was everywhere insisting on confrontation. I loved his kind of personality instantly. He was unassuming, consistent, resilient and focused. He shunned all suggestions of collaboration with the oppressors. His sudden demise is shocking. May he go well,” Odebowale stated.
Public relations scholar and communications strategist, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, described Aremu’s passing as “a deep cut,” recounting several encounters with the late activist during the pro-democracy struggles of the early 1990s.
Ibietan recalled how Aremu mobilised solidarity for detained activists such as Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, and Femi Falana during the Babangida regime.
“Aremson never wavered in his commitment to the struggle of the masses of Nigeria and I am sure he neither flickered nor faltered until he took his last breath. This is a very deep cut, we have lost a great soldier of the masses but history will absolve him,” he wrote.
Veteran activist Abdul Muhammed also reminisced about the struggles they shared with Aremu in the early 1990s, describing him as “fire and faith combined.”
“My memories of him remain vivid, especially that unforgettable night in May 1991 when we were arrested by the SSS at his Mushin home. Aremson was fire and faith combined, a man whose laughter could disarm fear and whose defiance gave strength to others,” he said.
Oludare Lasisi, another activist who took part in the June 12 struggles, described the deceased as “a fearless defender of human rights and freedom of the oppressed.”
Also mourning was Ola Adeosun, Esq., a lawyer based in Ibadan, who lamented Aremu’s sudden demise, describing it as “too much of a burden.”
“Irrespective of it all, I take solace in the fact that you have played well your part. You remained consistent all through and never faltered. History would always be kind to you. Continue to rest in power, Aremson,” Adeosun said.
Comrade Abiodun Aremu, fondly called Aremson, was one of Nigeria’s leading revolutionary voices, known for his lifelong commitment to Pan-Africanism, workers’ rights, and social justice. A former student leader at the Kwara State College of Technology, he was a key figure in several mass movements and labour struggles spanning over four decades.
His passing marks the end of an era in Nigeria’s revolutionary history, but as many of his comrades noted, his legacy will live on in the unending struggle for a just society.
