The Take It Back Movement has declared plans to stage a nationwide protest on June 12 to spotlight the country’s deepening insecurity, worsening economic conditions, and shrinking civic space.
In a statement issued Monday, National Coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu decried the escalating violence in the Middle Belt and northern regions, particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna, where he said mass killings and displacement have become the norm.
“Whole communities have been wiped out. Lives are lost without consequence. Internally displaced persons continue to rise while perpetrators roam free. The state either looks away or denies the extent of the bloodshed,” he said.
Sanyaolu described the government’s silence and inaction as complicity, accusing it of abandoning its democratic responsibilities. “This is not a democracy. This is organised cruelty,” he added.
He also condemned the Federal Government’s alleged clampdown on dissent, highlighting the arrests of protesters, detention of activists, and harassment of journalists and social media users under the Cybercrime Act.
“Across the federation, democracy is being dismantled by those who once promised change. Freedom of speech is under siege. Journalists are hounded. Citizens are punished for speaking online. The Cybercrime Act has become a tool for suppressing free expression,” Sanyaolu said.
Rejecting official celebrations of Democracy Day, the movement urged Nigerian workers, students, civil society, artisans, and those in the diaspora—to join peaceful protests.
“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.
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