Members of the Take It Back Movement on Monday staged a protest in Lagos to express their displeasure over the current state of the Nigerian economy, the alleged misuse of the Cybercrime Act, and the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
The peaceful protest took place at the Ikeja Under Bridge area, where protesters dressed in their usual orange berets gathered with placards and chanted solidarity songs.
Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Agency were present at the scene to monitor the situation.
Despite warnings from the police advising the organisers to cancel the protest, the demonstrators went ahead, insisting that their voices must be heard.
Police had earlier described the protest as “ill-timed” and “ill-conceived.” But the group’s leader, Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate, stood firm.
“We have a right to gather and speak up. Nigeria belongs to all of us. The poor are suffering and we cannot keep quiet,” Sowore said.
The protesters held placards with different messages, some of which read: “Stop the Repression,” “End the Hardship,” and “No to Emergency Rule in Rivers State.”
Photos from the protest showed passionate demonstrators, some surrounded by police officers holding tear gas canisters, though no violence was reported as of the time of filing this report.
The Lagos protest was part of a nationwide demonstration by the Take It Back Movement, with similar protests held in Abuja, Rivers, and Oyo States. The group said the aim was to demand better governance and protection of civil rights across Nigeria.
