In defiance of police warnings and increased security presence, members of the Take It Back Movement (TIBM) took to the streets of Lagos on Monday to protest against cybercrime and what they describe as a looming threat of emergency rule in Rivers State.
The protesters gathered beneath the popular Ikeja Under-Bridge before marching to the Lagos State Government House and the State House of Assembly in Alausa, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards that decried systemic failure and political suppression.
The demonstration remained peaceful, despite heavy security around government buildings and concerns about potential unrest. Organizers stressed the constitutional right to freedom of assembly and expression, saying the protest was a necessary civic action.
This show of defiance came just a day after the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, called for the cancellation of all planned protests nationwide. The police had warned that any such gathering would be considered disruptive, especially as April 7 has now been declared National Police Day by the federal government.
“In line with global best practices in celebrating police institutions, the Nigerian Government has declared April 7 as National Police Day,” read a statement issued Sunday by police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi.
The statement criticized the timing of the protest, saying:
“The rationale behind staging a nationwide protest on the same day is questionable and perceived as a deliberate and unpatriotic act aimed at maligning the image of the Nigeria Police and the nation as a whole. The Nigeria Police Force hereby advises the organizers to shelve the planned protest.”
Despite the warnings, TIBM proceeded with the Lagos protest, asserting that the concerns of citizens must not be silenced by symbolic declarations or institutional pushback.
“We must speak up when things are going wrong, and no day—National Police Day or not—will take away our right to peaceful protest,” a TIBM spokesperson said during the rally.
As the situation in Rivers State continues to generate political tension, and debates over civil liberties grow louder, Monday’s protest highlights the persistent divide between state authority and citizen activism in Nigeria.
