Juwon Sanyaolu, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back (TIB) movement, has been arrested by Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS). This information was confirmed by a top government source to SaharaReporters.
Since Sanyaolu’s arrest on Tuesday night in Lagos, both the DSS and the police have remained silent. Attempts to contact DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya and Lagos police command spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin were unsuccessful, as neither responded to calls or text messages.
A government official disclosed to SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the DSS detained Sanyaolu due to comments he allegedly made during a press conference prior to a planned protest. “DSS is holding TIB Coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu, and he was taken for some things he said at a press conference before the protest,” the source revealed. “They plan to move him from Lagos to Abuja.”
On Tuesday night, a coalition of civil society organizations and the African Action Congress announced Sanyaolu’s arrest. He is one of the coordinators of the #WeAreHungry nationwide protest, scheduled for Wednesday, June 12.
In a joint statement, the CSOs and the African Action Congress reported, “Information reaching us as of 10:05 pm indicates that one of the coordinators of the #WeAreHungry protests, slated for June 12, 2024, has been arrested by security agents in Lagos following a series of threats by the DSS and the Nigerian Police Force to clamp down on the peaceful Democracy Day protest. Around 10 pm, Comrade Sanyaolu Juwon, the National Coordinator of TIB, sent distress messages to members of the movement stating he had been arrested and taken to an unknown location. Efforts to reach him have been futile.”
The statement continued, “We are not surprised at this strategy of intimidation, but we want to tell the tyrannical and ruinous Tinubu regime that the arrest is too late. The veil is off, and Nigerians can see through the cluelessness of this government. We want to state categorically that the tactics of the Nigerian security apparatus, mobilized by the Presidency, are too late. Nigerians are not deterred and have resolved to protest against hardship, and nothing shall stop them tomorrow.”
In response, TIB on Wednesday demanded Sanyaolu’s immediate release. Comrade Olabiyi Ade Stephen, TIB National PRO/Media, issued a statement calling for an end to the harassment of peaceful protesters in the country. He emphasized that the police and DSS must recognize the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.