…Thugs disrupt protest
CITIZENS COMPASS– The Take It Back(TIB) Movement and other civil society organisations in their numbers on Thursday, demanded an end to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership.
They gathered at the National Assembly, Abuja, to protest against hardship, poor governance and insecurity in Nigeria.
They besieged the Assembly to listen to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s planned address to the lawmakers.
They demanded an end to what they described as two years of failure, hardship, and insecurity.
Though the protest was originally scheduled for Eagle Square, organizers shifted the location to the National Assembly without changing their mission. Their aim was to confront national leaders directly with calls for better governance and relief from economic struggles.
The group’s national coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, explained that Nigerians have reached a breaking point.
“All Nigerians from different walks of life have been mobilised, Nigerians are coming to the streets tomorrow (today) to demand an end to bad governance,” he said.
Sanyaolu added that the people no longer fear the consequences of speaking out:
“Nigerians have nothing to lose. Nigerians have been beaten and battered. We are like people who are on the ground; we should have no fear of falling. It is also their constitutional right to protest.”
He encouraged more citizens to take action:
“They have no reason to fear. The worst has happened, and the only way to stop the escalating level of our sorrow, tears and blood they are witnessing is to actually do something by protesting tomorrow. We have nothing to fear and we have nothing to lose but our chains.”
This protest comes as Nigeria marks June 12—Democracy Day—commemorating the historic 1993 election, widely seen as the most credible in the nation’s history. President Tinubu had earlier cancelled a planned national broadcast and opted instead to speak directly to both chambers of the National Assembly.
Security agencies across the country were placed on high alert in anticipation of the rallies. Police reassured the public that they would ensure order and prevent violence.
In Ondo State, some armed thugs invaded Cathedral Junction, the protest venue in Akure unleashing terror on the protesters.
The protest began peacefully near First Bank and the ‘A’ Division axis until the armed thugs stormed the venue not minding the presence of security operatives.
