The Take It Back Movement has reiterated its commitment to proceed with planned protests across Ekiti, Lagos, Abuja, London, and Canada, following the detention of human rights lawyer, Dele Farotimi, on defamation charges.
Despite the Ekiti State Police Command’s directive banning unlawful gatherings, demonstrations, and the sale or use of fireworks in the state, the group remains resolute in its stance.
The police justified the ban citing concerns over public safety and potential security threats, claiming that intelligence reports had flagged plans by some individuals to use protests as a means to incite violence.
In a statement issued by police spokesperson, Abutu Sunday, the command declared, “Any form of unlawful gathering, demonstration, or protest is unacceptable,” emphasizing that there were concerns about the possibility of protests escalating into violence.
However, in an interview on Sunday, the National Coordinator of the TIB Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, insisted that the police had no legal authority to prohibit peaceful protests.
Sanyaolu remarked, “The position of the TIB is the same and our action will go on as planned despite the police’s threats.” He further criticized the police for what he called their habitual lawlessness, adding, “The police cannot proscribe peaceful protest, that in itself is illegal.”
He also took aim at the police’s role in the recent incident involving Farotimi, asserting, “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.”
Sanyaolu pointed to the contents of Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, which critiques the country’s legal system, as indicative of the current situation, accusing both the police and judiciary of conspiring against the lawyer.
Meanwhile, elder statesman and founder of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), defended his decision to have Farotimi charged, stating that the lawyer’s book aimed to damage his reputation built over years of hard work.
Speaking through his legal representatives, Babalola confirmed that he had filed a petition with the police, asking them to investigate Farotimi’s allegations.
Farotimi, who was arrested in Lagos and brought to Ado Ekiti, was arraigned before an Ekiti State Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The charges stem from defamation allegations tied to his book, leading the police to request his remand in a correctional facility.
However, Farotimi’s defense lawyer pleaded for bail, and the Chief Magistrate, Abayomi Adeosun, granted the request for remand, adjourning the case until December 10, 2024.
Additionally, the police have filed fresh charges against him in a federal high court, focusing on cybercrime related to his online interviews, including an appearance on the Mic On Podcast, where he accused Babalola of corrupting the judiciary.
The TIB Movement, which was convened by former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, announced its plans for a global protest to challenge what it sees as “impunity by the Nigeria Police” and “judicial conspiracy.” A flyer circulating on social media called for participants to gather at specific locations on December 10, 2024, in cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Ado-Ekiti, Benin City, Toronto, and London. Sowore also took to social media, writing, “An unjust act of oppression cannot stand no matter how ‘well presented’ that it was done under the color of law! On December 10, 2024, in Lagos, Abuja, Ado-Ekiti, Benin City, Toronto, and the city of London, the people intoxicated by power will be confronted by the power of the people!”
