The Take it Back Movement has announced plans to hold a nationwide protest on June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day. This was made known by Juwon Sanyaolu, the groups national coordinator, in a statement released on Monday.
He stated that the protest aims to draw the government’s attention to the worsening level of insecurity, growing economic hardship and suppression of free speech.
The Movement condemned the continuous mass killings and displacements in Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna. Sanyaolu accused the government of inaction regarding the level of the violence.
“In Plateau, Benue, Southern Kaduna, and across the Middle Belt, mass killings continue with terrifying frequency. Whole communities are decimated. Lives are snuffed out without consequences,” the statement read in part.
“Internally displaced persons multiply, while perpetrators roam free. The bloodletting has become a routine, and the state remains complicit, through its inaction, negligence, or outright denial. This is not a democracy. This is organized cruelty.”
He also highlighted the arrest of protesters and activists and the targeting of journalists and social media users under the Cybercrime Act. He said it was an attempt to stifle democratic expression.
The movement is rejecting the official celebration of Democracy Day, rather urging Nigerians to gather and peacefully protest.
“As we mark June 12, we reject the hollow ceremonies and official pageantry. We will not participate in the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom where none exists. Instead, we declare this day a national day of resistance, a day to stand against tyranny, and bad governance.
“We call on all Nigerians, youth, students, workers, civil society, market women, artisans, and patriots at home and in the diaspora, to rise in defense of our rights.”