Residents of Abuja, Lagos, Rivers and Oyo States have joined other protesters to march against the misuse of the Cybercrime Act by the Police and leaders in the country.
Led by Take-It-Back Movement and several other civil society organisations in the country, the protesters said that the Act has become a weapon in the hands of security agencies and government officials against citizens.
According to the protesters, those in authority now use the law to stifle the press and criminalise free speech in the country.
The protesters while calling for the repeal of the Act condemned the biting economic hardship and challenges faced by Nigerians across the country.
Marching on the streets of Lagos, the protesters – stationed around the Ikeja Under Bridge – carried placards with various inscriptions calling for an an end to the law.
In Oyo State, protesters were seen gathered on the Iwo Road amid heavy security presence in the state’s capital city of Ibadan.
Despite caution and advice from the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force, the Take-It-Back-Movement on Monday, April 7, commenced its nationwide protest in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
The protest led by TIB was organised in collaboration with several other civil society organisations across the country.
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The group said the protest is aimed at drawing the world and leaders’ attention to the alleged misuse of the Cybercrime Act for the harassment and intimidation of Nigerians.
It also said that the nation has been bedevilled by economic hardship which has left citizens living on the edge of life.
Among the protesters seen on the streets of Abuja is a human rights activist and the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore.
The protesters also carried various placards with inscriptions, “Hunger Dey”, ” Let us breathe”, “Stop the repression”.
A protest in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, took a rowdy turn on Monday as police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who defied orders to vacate the streets.
The protesters, made up of members of the Take It Back Movement, Civil Society Organisations, and the Niger Delta Congress, had gathered at Isaac Boro Park to stage a rally against the alleged misuse of the Cybercrime Act.
Upon arrival, operatives of the Rivers State Police Command reportedly ordered the crowd to relocate to another venue. Undeterred, the protesters began chanting solidarity songs and marched from the park towards the busy Aba Express Road.
The situation escalated when the demonstrators reached the CFC Junction, where armed anti-riot police intercepted them once again. After the protesters refused to disperse, officers launched tear gas canisters into the crowd, forcing many to flee in different directions for safety.
Young demonstrators under the banner of the Take-It-Back Movement on Monday, April 7, defied police warnings and staged protests in Lagos and Oyo states.
Wearing their signature orange berets, protesters in Lagos began their rally at the Ikeja Under Bridge, marching through major roads while chanting solidarity songs under the watchful eyes of police officers.
The protest organisers had insisted that the rally would go on as planned, maintaining their stand against the use of the Cybercrime Act to suppress freedom of expression and civic activism.
The Nigeria Police Force had urged the group to cancel its planned nationwide demonstration, describing the timing as “ill-conceived and mischievous.” In response, activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore dismissed the police’s concerns, denying claims that the protest was aimed at disrupting the National Police Day celebration. Although the protests did not centre on specific demands, the Take-It-Back Movement has consistently mobilized around key national issues, including the state of the Nigerian economy and the recent declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
In Oyo State, members of the movement held a peaceful demonstration in Ibadan, the state capital, with security operatives present to maintain order.
