Public Statement from the League for Social Justice (LSJ)On the April 7 Nationwide Protest and Nigeria Police Force Response

The League for Social Justice (LSJ) acknowledges the recent reports concerning the planned nationwide protests organized by the Take-It-Back Movement and other civil society groups, in response to the growing hardship, suppression of civil liberties, the misuse of laws like the Cybercrime Act, and democratic crises in states such as Rivers.

We commend the courage and civic consciousness of Nigerians who, in the face of growing economic despair and institutional silence, have chosen to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. It is not only legal—it is vital. In a democracy, the people must always retain the right to speak, to gather, and to challenge power when it strays from justice.

We take note of the Nigeria Police Force’s statement advising against the protests, especially its claim that the timing undermines the newly-declared National Police Day. Let us be clear: civil protest does not dishonor the police. In fact, a professional, rights-respecting police force is honored most when it stands as a neutral guarantor of the people’s freedoms—not an enforcer of silence.

If there is any institution that should reflect soberly on this moment, it is the one being celebrated. Rising public frustration over insecurity, unchecked corruption, police brutality, and deteriorating economic conditions cannot be swept aside by ceremony or suppressed through force.

That the protests coincide with the maiden National Police Day is, if anything, symbolic. It highlights the need for the police to recommit to their constitutional role—not as tools of political convenience, but as protectors of law, order, and democratic expression.

We urge the Nigeria Police Force to abandon the language of threats and suspicion and instead facilitate the protest with the professionalism and impartiality that democracy demands. Security should not be a weapon against the people, but a shield for their rights.

The League stands with all peaceful demonstrators across the country today. Let this be a turning point where our democracy is not defined by fear or force, but by the power of voices raised in unity for justice, equity, and human dignity.

Justice is not a threat to order—it is its foundation.

— League for Social Justice

April 7, 2025