Organisers of the June 12 protest under the aegis of the Take It Back Movement have announced multiple venues across Nigeria for mass demonstrations aimed at spotlighting rising economic hardship, worsening insecurity, and alleged attacks on civic freedoms under the current administration.
According to The PUNCH, the group’s National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, said the protest would hold in at least 20 locations nationwide.
The protest is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, 2025, to coincide with Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
“In Abuja, we will gather at Eagle Square by 8:00 a.m., while in Lagos, demonstrations will take place at Badagry, Maryland, Agbara, and Toll Gate starting by 7:00 a.m.,” Sanyaolu disclosed.
He further listed other convergence points across states, including Cathedral Junction in Akure (Ondo), Museum Ground in Benin City (Edo), and Gida Matasa in Niger State—all beginning between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. In Ibadan, Oyo State, demonstrators will assemble at Mokola Roundabout by 8:00 a.m.
In the northeast, the protest is set for Maiduguri Bypass Roundabout in Damaturu, Yobe State, and Kasuwan Gamboru Flyover in Borno State, both starting by 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. respectively.
Other locations include Olaiya Junction in Osogbo, Osun State; Juppu Jam Road in Yola, Adamawa State; and multiple junctions in Delta State such as Amukpe, Summit, Koka, Otovwodo, PTI, DSC, and Abraka.
According to Sanyaolu, the protest is a call for accountability and a reaffirmation of Nigerians’ constitutional rights.
“We’re taking to the streets to demand that government lives up to its primary responsibility: the security and welfare of the people,” he said. “Unfortunately, both have been grossly neglected.”
Referencing a recent Amnesty International report, Sanyaolu noted that over 10,000 lives have been lost due to insecurity since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office.
He also pointed to alarming poverty rates, citing that over 133 million Nigerians are currently living in multidimensional poverty.
“In states like Benue and Plateau, tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes—40,000 and 68,000 respectively—due to violence and insecurity,” he said.
The activist further accused the administration of shrinking democratic space and silencing dissent.
“Freedom of expression is under siege. Critics are being hounded, and civic space is gradually being eroded,” he alleged.
Addressing security agencies, Sanyaolu issued a stern warning against attempts to suppress the protests, noting that the right to peaceful assembly is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and upheld by the Supreme Court.
“The police and other security bodies must understand that their role is to protect, not repress. Nigerians have a right to protest. It is lawful and constitutional,” he said.
He encouraged Nigerians across the country to join the demonstrations to “reclaim the soul of the country” and hold leaders to account.
“June 12 should not just be a ceremonial Democracy Day. It should be a day of civic action and citizen responsibility,” he concluded.