Abubakar Jawa, the Yobe State coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement (TIB), was arrested by security operatives on Monday while gathering for a planned protest calling for the immediate repeal of the controversial Cybercrime Act.
The protest, organised by TIB, aimed to raise public awareness about the implications of the legislation.
Arrests in Yobe Ahead of Protest
Jawa was arrested alongside four others, Mohammed Kayeri Adam, Suleiman A. Gambo, Maimuna Abba, and Abubakar Musa. Although the exact reasons for their arrest remain unclear, the incident has drawn considerable attention across Yobe State.
According to SaharaReporters, the arrests took place as the group assembled at a designated location ahead of Monday’s protest.
However, when contacted, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim, denied that any protesters or members of the Take-It-Back Movement had been arrested by the police.
He further stated that the police had been inviting members or coordinators of the movement to identify themselves, assuring that the police were willing to provide security support for the protest.
“As far as the police are concerned, we don’t know any TIB movement coordinator or members in the state. We’ve made our doors open for any member or coordinator to come forward and be identified so that the police can offer security backing for the protest. But so far, no one has come forward. So, the police have not arrested any TIB member or its coordinator,” Abdulkarim said.
DSS Summons Osun TIB Official
Meanwhile, on Sunday, SaharaReporters revealed that the Department of State Services (DSS) in Osun State had summoned Olasunkanmi Mary Oluwatosin, the Organising Secretary of the TIB’s Osun State chapter, for questioning over the planned nationwide protest scheduled for April 7.
Despite the development, the Take-It-Back Movement has insisted that the protest will go ahead as planned.
Protest Targets Cybercrime Act, Tinubu’s Government
According to the group, the protest seeks to challenge what it describes as the “authoritarianism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, abuse of human rights, and the misuse of the Cybercrime Act.”
The protest is themed: “Nationwide Protest Against Bad Governance and Suppression of Free Speech.”
Oluwatosin told SaharaReporters on Sunday that a DSS operative had contacted her on Saturday to request details about the planned protest. She added that she received another call from an unidentified number on Sunday, summoning her to the DSS office in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, for what was described as a “chat.”
