The Take It Back Movement has announced plans for a nationwide protest on June 12, aimed at drawing attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, shrinking civic space, and rising economic hardship.
The protest, according to the group’s National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, will serve as a rejection of the Federal Government’s official Democracy Day celebrations, which he described as “a distraction from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.”
In a statement on Monday, Sanyaolu criticised the government’s failure to address mass killings in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna and other parts of the Middle Belt, alleging that affected communities are being abandoned while perpetrators roam freely.
“Whole communities are decimated. Lives are snuffed out without consequences. Internally displaced persons multiply, while perpetrators roam free,” he said. “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 organised cruelty.”
He also accused the Federal Government of clamping down on free speech and dissent, citing arrests of protesters, detention of activists, and harassment of journalists under the Cybercrime Act.
“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,” he added.
Sanyaolu urged Nigerians across all sectors students, workers, civil society organisations, artisans, and diaspora communities to participate in the planned 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,” he declared.
June 12 is marked as Democracy Day in Nigeria, in memory of the 1993 presidential election widely believed to be the fairest in the nation’s history. The election, won by the late Chief MKO Abiola, was annulled by the military regime. In 2018, the Buhari administration officially declared June 12 as the new Democracy Day holiday to honour the country’s democratic journey (Vanguard).
However, critics argue that the democratic gains have been eroded by government inaction, rights abuses, and a worsening economy.
Data Snapshot
Over 2,000 Nigerians were violently killed in the first quarter of 2025 alone, according to data from SBM Intelligence.
About 3.1 million people are currently internally displaced in Nigeria, with the Middle Belt and North-East accounting for a significant proportion.
Freedom House in its 2024 global report categorised Nigeria as “Partly Free,” citing restrictions on press freedom, arbitrary detentions, and civic space clampdowns.
The June 12 protests, if held as planned, are expected to test the Federal Government’s response to growing dissent.
With economic pressures and insecurity biting harder, and civic freedoms under scrutiny, the Take It Back Movement is calling on Nigerians to take a stand peacefully but persistently.
