Protest Gridlocks Abuja: Commuters Stranded as Security Forces Clamp Down on Take-It-Back Demonstration

 

Abuja, Nigeria – What was expected to be a regular Monday morning commute turned into a grueling trek for thousands of Abuja residents, as major roads leading to Eagles Square and the Federal Secretariat were barricaded by security operatives in a bid to thwart a planned protest.

Before the first light broke over the capital city, teams of riot police had already stationed vehicles across key routes. Their mission was clear: prevent demonstrators under the Take-It-Back Movement and allied civil society organizations from accessing the protest grounds. The protest was meant to spotlight growing public dissatisfaction over the controversial Cybercrime Act and the emergency rule recently imposed in Rivers State.

The early blockade effectively paralyzed access to core administrative districts. Workers and private individuals, unaware of the full scale of the police presence, were turned back at checkpoints, with many forced to navigate alternative routes by foot. The resulting gridlock saw traffic backed up for hours, as stranded commuters struggled to exit congested areas around Eagles Square.

Speaking to reporters, several visibly frustrated residents questioned the timing and strategy of the protest organizers. “How do you schedule a protest on a Monday morning of all days?” one resident, drenched in sweat, queried as he made his way on foot from Appeal Court junction to Glo junction. “They say they’re doing this for the masses, but look who’s suffering.”

Another resident, Oyima, echoed the sentiment. “There’s barely a week that passes in Abuja without some form of protest or road disruption. At this point, it’s the everyday people that keep paying the price.”

But for organizers, the inconvenience is a necessary consequence of activism. Juwon Sanyaolu, National Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, maintained that the demonstration was both timely and justified, considering the scale of economic hardship and repression currently plaguing the nation.

“The Nigerian people are fed up,” Sanyaolu told reporters on Sunday ahead of the protest. “This rally is about more than inconvenience—it’s about survival, justice, and democracy. We’ve seen what happened during #EndBadGovernance. Citizens were killed, minors detained. These are the things we’re standing against.”

The police, however, argue that the timing of the rally was deliberately provocative. In a strongly worded statement released by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the protest was described as “mischievous” and ill-conceived, given its overlap with National Police Day—an occasion earmarked to celebrate the resilience and sacrifices of law enforcement officers.

“The protest is scheduled on a day set aside to honour the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement read. “It will be attended by dignitaries both local and international, including foreign Inspectors-General and diplomats. Organizing a protest on this day seems intended to embarrass the Force.”

Despite appeals from security agencies to shelve the demonstration, the Take-It-Back Movement refused to cancel. Instead, protesters reportedly attempted to regroup near the National Assembly, another planned convergence point. It was not immediately clear whether any clashes or arrests occurred at that secondary location, though tension remained high throughout the morning.

This latest protest follows closely on the heels of the #EndBadGovernance movement that erupted nine months ago, calling attention to the spiraling cost of living and diminishing civil liberties.

While police continue to justify their heightened presence as a safeguard against unrest, civil rights advocates see a familiar pattern of repression. “We are prepared for whatever comes,” said Sanyaolu. “This government must know we will not be silenced.”

As of Monday afternoon, the streets surrounding Eagles Square remained heavily guarded, with long queues of vehicles inching their way through detours. For many residents, the journey to work—or back home—had become an unplanned endurance test, offering yet another reminder of how deeply politics has seeped into the rhythms of daily life in Nigeria’s capital.