FREE INSPECTOR BODE EMORUWA & SIX OTHERS NOW!

PRESS STATEMENT

July 10, 2025

FREE INSPECTOR BODE EMORUWA & SIX OTHERS NOW!

The Take It Back Movement condemns in the strongest terms the illegal arrest and continued detention of seven patriotic Nigerian police officers, including Inspector Bode Emoruwa, who are reportedly being held at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja for merely expressing interest in and mobilizing for the upcoming #PoliceProtest scheduled for July 21, 2025.

These officers are not criminals. They are citizens in uniform demanding better welfare, fair treatment, and dignity within a system that has long neglected and dehumanized them.

Their only “crime” is the courage to speak out against injustice. The same injustice that millions of Nigerians face daily.

On the night of July 9, our legal team, including Barrister A.K. Musa, attempted to confirm the whereabouts of the detained officers after credible tip-offs placed them at FID. What we met was disturbing: the entire facility was shrouded in darkness, deliberate stonewalling by duty officers, and covert instructions from a Commissioner of Police to keep silent about the matter. This is not law enforcement, it is tyranny in uniform.

We are not surprised. The Nigerian Police hierarchy assumed this protest would be limited to retired officers. But what shocked them was the growing resolve among serving personnel, even of senior rank, to challenge a broken system that exploits them. Now, in panic, the establishment is resorting to crude repression.

We declare that this clampdown will not work. It will only fuel the momentum of the #PoliceProtest and expose the rot at the core of policing in Nigeria.

These officers have not violated any law. They are entitled to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, rights guaranteed under the Nigerian Constitution.

The Take It Back Movement demands:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of Inspector Bode Emoruwa and the six other detained officers.
2. An end to the intimidation and victimization of all police personnel supporting the #PoliceProtest.
3. Urgent reforms to improve police welfare, safety, and human dignity.

Let it be known: the struggle for justice, equity, and dignity is not limited to civilians. The police, too, are victims of a system that treats them as disposable tools. And they, too, must rise.

We stand in full solidarity with every officer who chooses justice over silence. The #PoliceProtest is just the beginning. The people are watching.

Signed:

Juwon Sanyaolu,
National Coordinator,
Take It Back Movement.