LAGOS, Nigeria — Comrade Abiodun Aremu, a prominent Nigerian labour activist and revolutionary thinker known as “Aremson,” died on Sunday, October 12, 2025, after being struck by a vehicle in what witnesses describe as a hit-and-run incident near his home in Ota, Ogun State.
Aremu, who served as Secretary of the Joint Action Front (JAF), was reportedly returning home on Sunday evening when the accident occurred. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
For decades, Aremu was one of Nigeria’s most consistent voices advocating for social justice, workers’ rights, and national liberation. A committed Marxist organizer and socialist thinker, he played a central role in mobilizing opposition to fuel price increases, corruption, and policies viewed as harmful to ordinary Nigerians.
Aremu was instrumental in establishing several key progressive organizations, including the Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO) and the Amílcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M), through which he mentored hundreds of young activists, trade unionists, and community organizers.
Beyond Nigeria’s borders, Aremu championed Pan-African and internationalist causes. He served as Secretary of the Nigeria Movement for the Liberation of Western Sahara and the Nigerian Movement of Solidarity with Cuba. The Cuban government awarded him its prestigious Friendship Medal in recognition of his solidarity work with the Cuban Revolution.
Activist Debo Adeniran confirmed the incident on Facebook, writing: “Abiodu Aremu, Aremson, is dead. Knocked down by a hit-and-run vehicle. So sad.”
In a statement signed by Owei Lakemfa on behalf of the Nigeria Labour Movement, Aremu was described as “one of the greatest revolutionaries and internationalists of our time” who “developed structures for collaboration and development of the Labour Movement.”
Dr. Otive Igbuzor, in a tribute, wrote: “Comrade Aremu was not just a Marxist; he was a living example of what it means to translate Marxist and socialist ideals into action.”
Aremu, affectionately known as “Fidelista Aremson,” will be laid to rest on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at No. 30, Kabiru Fatoye Street, opposite Alaka Field, Ijako Sugar Bus Stop, Ifo Road, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
His death marks a significant loss to Nigeria’s progressive movement, where colleagues remember him as a selfless fighter who dedicated his life to the cause of working people.
