His death was announced by his colleague, Deji Adeyanju, who tweeted on Thursday afternoon, “My brother comrade Ariyo Dare Atoye has gone to be with the Lord. He was looking at me till the last moment. From God we came, and it is certain to Him we will return.”
SaharaReporters learnt that the activist died of lung cancer.
The activist, who had been in critical health condition for weeks, in a short text message he sent from his sick bed to SaharaReporters in mid-October, said he needed prayers from Nigerians to save his life.
After a brief stint in politics, he returned to activism and co-founded the Centre for Civil Liberty, which operated from Abuja.
Atoye worked closely with several other human rights groups and activists that included Deji Adeyanju and Omoyele Sowore, speaking truth to power and holding the Muhammadu Buhari, regime accountable for its serial human rights abuses.
Since 2017, Atoye has championed electoral reform advocacy in Nigeria, and his contributions to the recent amendments to electoral guidelines by the Nigerian legislature were widely acknowledged.
The text message read, "Activist Ariyo-Dare Atoye in a critical health condition. Down but not out, Jesus got me, pray for me."
Atoye was a frontline human rights crusader who stood against oppression, injustice and forces and actions that sought to undermine civic and media space.
The activist played a major role in the passage and signing of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2022 into law through a coalition called Civil Society Partners on Electoral Reform (CiSPER).
He led several protests against the initial delay in the passage of the bill.
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