The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied the arrest of Juwon Sanyaolu, the coordinator of the Take It Back (TIB) Movement, News About Nigeria reports.
In a post shared via X on Thursday, June 13, the DSS said, “Juwon Sanyaolu, Coordinator of TAKE IT BACK MOVEMENT is NOT with the DSS. He was NOT invited, arrested or detained by the Service.”
Reports had surfaced claiming that Sanyaolu was apprehended by security operatives ahead of a planned protest on Democracy Day.
SaharaReporters alleged that the Nigerian secret police were responsible for the abduction of the TIB National Coordinator in Lagos on Tuesday night, citing a top government source.
However, human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), disclosed on his X account that the DSS had transferred Sanyaolu to the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja.
Sowore stated, “Just heard aka DSS @OfficialDSSNG has now returned Comrade @AyowoleSanyaolu to the notorious Lagos @PoliceNG SARS detention center at the Lagos State Command in Ikeja. They can’t stop Juwon Sanyaolu; they can’t stop an idea whose time has come!”
A coalition of civil society organisations and the African Action Congress had earlier announced Sanyaolu’s arrest, linking it to his involvement in organising the #WeAreHungry nationwide protest scheduled for Wednesday, June 12.
The coalition stated that Sanyaolu was arrested following threats from the DSS and Nigerian Police Force to suppress the peaceful Democracy Day protest.
In response, the Take It Back Movement demanded Sanyaolu’s immediate release.
In a statement, TIB National PRO/Media, Comrade Olabiyi Ade Stephen, called for an end to the harassment of peaceful protesters and urged the police and DSS to respect the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
