Abubakar Jawa, the Yobe State coordinator of the Take-It-Back (TIB) Movement, was arrested by security agents on Monday while preparing for a protest against the controversial Cybercrime Act. Jawa, along with four others—Mohammed Kayeri Adam, Suleiman A. Gambo, Maimuna Abba, and another individual also named Abubakar Jawa—were detained while gathering at a designated location for the protest, although the exact reasons for their arrest remain unclear.
The planned protest was organized by TIB to raise awareness about the implications of the Cybercrime Act. However, security forces intervened before the demonstration could take place.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, Dungus Abdulkarim, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, denied that any members of the TIB Movement had been arrested. He stated that the police had been in contact with movement members and were open to providing security support for the protest, but no coordinators or members had formally identified themselves to the police.
The arrest of Jawa and others follows earlier reports of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Osun State summoning Olasunkanmi Mary Oluwatosin, the Organising Secretary of the TIB state chapter, for questioning about the protest. Despite these developments, the Take-It-Back Movement has insisted that the protest would proceed, denouncing what they see as “authoritarianism” in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the misuse of the Cybercrime Act.
The nationwide protest, titled “Nationwide Protest Against Bad Governance and Suppression of Free Speech,” is a bold stance by the movement against what it deems oppressive government practices.
