Residents of Oyo State and demonstrators under the banner of the Take-It-Back Movement on Friday staged a defiant protest in commemoration of Democracy Day, decrying what they described as worsening governance, rising insecurity, biting economic hardship, and the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of the state.
The protesters, who marched through the Oyo State capital, Ibadan, were seen in large numbers carrying placards with various inscriptions condemning government inaction and demanding urgent intervention over the security situation in the state and across the country.
Among the most repeated chants heard from the crowd was a highly charged political slogan directed at top officials, as protesters sang in unison:
“Seyi Makinde fall for gutter, march am march am, Ogundoyin, IGP, shetimma, Tinubu fall for gutter, march am march am.”
The protesters insisted that the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Orire Local Government Area had become a symbol of the collapse of security in rural communities, accusing authorities of failing to provide adequate protection for citizens.
They also condemned the worsening economic conditions in the country, saying inflation, unemployment, and hardship have made life unbearable for ordinary Nigerians, especially the poor.
As they marched across parts of the city, although the protest largely remained peaceful, with participants maintaining chants, songs, and coordinated movement throughout the demonstration.
The Take-It-Back Movement, alongside concerned residents, maintained that the Democracy Day protest was necessary to draw attention to systemic failure in governance, insisting that citizens can no longer remain silent in the face of insecurity and economic distress.
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