The Take-It-Back Movement, led by activist Omoyele Sowore, has reaffirmed its plan to hold a nationwide protest on June 12, opposing widespread killings and authoritarian governance.
In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, the group dismissed the usual “empty rituals and official fanfare” that mark the day, describing them as meaningless.
“We refuse to take part in the charade of celebrating freedom in a country where true liberty is absent,” the statement read.
“Instead, we designate June 12 as a national day of resistance — a time to confront oppression and misrule.”
The movement warned of growing signs of democratic decline across Nigeria, lamenting that the hard-fought gains of democracy earned through struggle and sacrifice—are now being eroded by the very leaders who once vowed to deliver change.
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The statement read, “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. Through weaponisation of the Cybercrime Act, government agents now stalk the digital footprints of dissenters, silencing legitimate criticism and criminalising free expression.
“And while the voices in the streets are silenced, the cries from rural communities echo unheard. 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. 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.
“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 the corrupt elite.”
