The Take It Back Movement has announced plans to stage a nationwide protest on June 12 to highlight growing insecurity, economic hardship, and the shrinking civic space in Nigeria.
In a statement issued Monday by the group’s National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, the movement decried the escalating violence in the Middle Belt and northern regions, citing continuous attacks in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna.
Sanyaolu lamented the mass killings and displacement of communities, alleging government indifference or denial. “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. Internally displaced persons multiply, while perpetrators roam free,” he stated.
He accused the state of complicity, saying its silence and inaction have enabled the crisis. “This is not a democracy. This is organised cruelty,” he added.
The group also condemned what it described as a crackdown on dissent and democratic freedoms, pointing to arrests of protesters, activists, and journalists, as well as the use of the Cybercrime Act to stifle free expression online.
“Freedom of speech is under attack. The state has turned on its citizens with an unrelenting campaign of intimidation and censorship. Journalists are harassed. Activists are detained. Citizens are arrested for social media posts,” Sanyaolu said.
He asserted that democracy in Nigeria is being dismantled by the same forces that once promised reform, stating that “Nigeria stands today not as a democratic nation, but as a country at war with its own people.”
Rejecting the official observance of Democracy Day, the Take It Back Movement called on Nigerians across all sectors—including workers, students, civil society groups, artisans, and members of the diaspora—to join the peaceful protest.
“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 concluded.
ADEOLA KUNLE
