The Take It Back movement ended its 10-day nationwide protests against economic hardship on Saturday, but vowed to escalate their actions if President Bola Tinubu fails to meet their demands.
The group has been marching through Abuja and other cities since August 1, demanding the reversal of fuel subsidy removal and reductions in electricity tariffs, among other issues.
Protesters have criticized President Tinubu for his reluctance to address their grievances, despite their sustained presence on the streets. They carried placards with messages such as “Bring back corruption-free fuel subsidy,” “Rent must be monthly,” and “Nigerians are tired of bad leaders.”
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Abiodun Sanusi, an activist with the movement, announced that while demonstrations would pause temporarily, the group is prepared to return with a larger force if their demands remain unmet.
“Earlier on, we declared 10 days of rage to end bad governance in Nigeria. However, it is now clear that President Bola Tinubu is not ready to listen to the demands of Nigerians.
Today is the final day of the 10 days of rage, but we are promising the Nigerian government and President Tinubu that we will come back until he accedes to our demands. We will return to the streets, and this time, we will be more than this.
We will be declaring a 10-million-person march across the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT,” Sanusi said.
The protests were marked by violence, with security forces using lethal force against protesters and journalists in Abuja, Kaduna, and other regions.
The Nigerian Army acknowledged a tragic incident, admitting that they mistakenly killed a teenage boy, Ismail Mohammed, during a protest in Zaria.
