Fact-check: Did “Take It Back Movement” Postpone Protest to October 1st?

Fact-check: Did “Take It Back Movement” Postpone Protest to October 1st?

A viral letter circulating online and on social media, especially on X claims that the “Take It Back Movement” has withdrawn from the protests, citing security concerns as the reason for the postponement.

The letter, which bears the movement’s logo and the name of the director for mobilization, Damilare Adenola, states:

“Due to prevailing security threat conditions, we, the organizers of the #EndBadGovernance and hunger protest, can no longer guarantee the security of lives of Nigerians who will come out tomorrow.

“In light of this, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the #EndBadGovernance Protest to October 1. The safety of our citizens is paramount, and we cannot compromise on that.”

Take It Back Movement is a human rights organization based in Lagos that is committed to defending human and civil rights and ensuring the economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights of every citizens are defended.

Recall that a group of Nigerians have scheduled August 1, 2024 for the commencement of nationwide protest over hunger and economic hardship under the government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. 

The viral statement surfaced online, sparking reactions on social media, with many expressing disappointment and feeling misled by the group.

However, PRNigeria fact-checkers investigated the claim using reverse image and keyword searches to verify its authenticity and discovered that an online news media was behind the circulation of the viral statement credited to the movement.

Further investigation revealed that the “Take-It-Back Movement” has denied the statement of its withdrawn from the protest. It stated that the #EndBadGovernance protests had taken off already across Nigeria before the D-Day. 

Therefore, based on PRNigeria fact-check findings, we conclude that the claim by some unknown individuals that the “Take it back movement” has postponed the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest is misleading.

By PRNigeria