Following the imprisonment of human rights lawyer Dele Farotimi on defamation charges, the Take It Back Movement has promised to continue its scheduled rallies in Ekiti, Lagos, Abuja, London, and Canada.
The organization persisted on this despite an order from the Ekiti State Police Command prohibiting unlawful meetings, protests, and the sale and usage of fireworks throughout the state, citing concerns about public safety and security risks.
In a statement signed by the state police spokesperson, Abutu Sunday, on Friday, the command stated that “any form of unlawful gathering, demonstration, or protest is unacceptable,” adding that intelligence reports indicated that some individuals planned to exploit protests to incite violence and create panic.
However, in a chat with our correspondent on Sunday, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, insisted that the police lacked a legal basis to ban peaceful protests.
He said, “The position of the TIB is the same and our action will go on as planned despite the police’s threats.”
He said, “The lawlessness of the Nigeria Police must not be allowed to go unchecked even though we are aware it is their trademark. The police cannot proscribe peaceful protest, that in itself is illegal. We are peacefully challenging in the public space the thuggery of the police officers, under the command of the Ekiti CP, who came all the way from Ekiti to abduct Farotimi in Lagos and assault his staff.
“While we are not against lawful processes, we will not hesitate to point out the conspiracy of the police and the judiciary in this matter. The very title of Farotimi’s book ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,’ is what is also playing out in our very eyes with the police playing an active role.”
