The Take It Back Movement has announced plans for a nationwide protest on June 12 to draw attention to Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, shrinking civic space, and growing economic hardship.
In a statement issued by National Coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu, the movement urged Nigerians to boycott official Democracy Day celebrations and instead participate in peaceful demonstrations across the country.
“We are calling on workers, students, civil society organizations, artisans, and Nigerians in the diaspora to join us in the streets of every state capital and the Federal Capital Territory,” said Sanyaolu. “There is no turning back.”
This defiant stance comes in direct opposition to a public protest ban recently issued by the Nigeria Police.
Sanyaolu emphasized that the protest is in solidarity with victims of violence and systemic neglect. “This June 12, we march not just for ourselves, but for the slain in Benue, the displaced in Plateau, the silenced in detention, and the starving masses abandoned by a corrupt elite,” the statement read.
The group strongly condemned the surge in violence across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions, particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna. Sanyaolu noted that entire communities have been wiped out, with thousands displaced and little to no response from the government.
“Lives are being snuffed out with impunity. Internally displaced persons increase by the day, while the perpetrators roam free. Bloodshed has become routine—and the state is complicit, whether through inaction, negligence, or outright denial. This is not democracy; it is organized cruelty,” he stated.
The movement also decried the Federal Government’s suppression of dissent, pointing to the arrest and detention of protesters, the harassment of journalists, and the intimidation of social media users under the Cybercrime Act.
Sanyaolu concluded by asserting that June 12 must serve as a day of resistance—not celebration. “It is time to take back our country from those who have hijacked our democracy and betrayed the people.”
