The Take It Back (TIB) Movement has formally notified the Lagos State Police Command of its plans to stage a peaceful protest on June 12, 2025, marking Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
The group has demanded that law enforcement officers ensure the safety and protection of demonstrators rather than resort to intimidation or suppression.
In an open letter addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, and signed by the Lagos Coordinator of the movement, Adekunle Taofeek, the group expressed its intent to exercise constitutional rights guaranteed by Sections 39 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which protect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
According to Taofeek, the protest is a national response to worsening living conditions in the country, including persistent insecurity and deepening economic hardship.
“On June 12, 2025, Nigerians from all walks of life—young and old, employed and unemployed—will take to the streets in peaceful protest against the unbearable insecurity and economic hardship strangling this nation,” the statement reads partly.
The group emphasised that June 12, now recognised as Democracy Day, must serve as more than a ceremonial event—it should symbolise ongoing resistance and the collective demand for justice, equity, and good governance.
“June 12 is not a day of silence. It is a day of resistance. Nigerians never begged for freedom; we fought for it. And we will continue to fight—peacefully but fearlessly—until this country works for all of us,” the group asserted.
The letter further warned against any attempt by the police to clamp down on or criminalise peaceful protest, urging officers to remain neutral and professional in the discharge of their duties during the demonstration.
“Protesting is not a favour the police grant; it is a constitutional right. No law gives security agents the power to crush lawful dissent. We expect officers deployed to provide protection, not harassment,” the group said.
June 12 commemorates the annulled 1993 presidential election widely believed to be Nigeria’s freest and fairest. The protest this year coincides with the 26th anniversary of Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.