June 12 Protests: Activists Release Venue Details, Challenge Tinubu’s Govt on Accountability
In advance of Nigeria’s Democracy Day on June 12, the Take It Back Movement has released a list of locations for protests throughout the nation.
The organization, according to reports, urged Nigerians to take to the streets in protest of the country’s economic difficulties, insecurity, and what it claims is the degradation of human liberties under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The campaign’s National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, told Punch on Monday that demonstrations would take place in at least 20 locations across the country, including in the North, South, East, and West.
By eight in the morning, we shall meet at Eagle Square in Abuja. Our four locations in Lagos are Agbara, Badagry, Maryland, and Toll Gate, and they all open at 7:00 am,” he stated.
The Museum Ground in Benin City (9 am), Cathedral Junction in Akure, Ondo State (8 am), and Gida Matasa in Niger State (8 am) are other sites.
Among the places Sanyaolu mentioned in Delta State were:
The Sapele Amukpe Roundabout
Koka Junction and Summit Junction in Asaba
Between Otovwodo and Ughelli
PTI Junction, DSC Roundabout, and Effurun Roundabout in Warri
Junction of the Police Station in Abraka
Other locations confirmed:
8 a.m. at Mokola Roundabout in Ibadan, Oyo State
Eight a.m., Kasuwan Gamboru Flyover, Borno
Osun State’s Olaiya Junction, Osogbo
Juppu Jam Road, Adamawa’s Yola
Yobe, Damaturu, and the Maiduguri Bypass Roundabout
At 8 a.m., Yelwam Makaranta, Bauchi School of ACR, Bauchi
The protests are intended to reassert citizens’ rights and demand accountability, according to the group.
Our democratic rights are being exercised on June 12th. According to the Constitution, the protection and well-being of the populace are the government’s top priorities. Tinubu has failed at that,” Sanyaolu said.
He cited an Amnesty International report that stated since Tinubu gained power, insecurity had killed over 10,000 Nigerians.
Approximately 68,000 people are affected in Plateau, while over 40,000 are displaced in Benue State. The administration seems unconcerned, while Nigerians suffer,” he remarked.
The movement also claimed that the Tinubu government was stifling free expression and stifling the voices of the opposition.
The public sphere is being targeted by this administration. Criticism of the government is being stalked. He continued, “We want to fight back against this trend and increase awareness.”
Read Also: SERAP to Tinubu: Intervene as Wike Plans to Shut 34 Embassies in Abuja
Sanyaolu urged security forces to defend demonstrators instead of suppressing them in a severe warning.
The Supreme Court has supported the freedom to protest, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, he continued. It is the responsibility of the police to keep demonstrators safe and secure.
Nigerians should “reclaim the soul of the country” and resist poor leadership, he urged.
