PRESS STATEMENT
Take It Back Movement (TIB), Kwara State Chapter
27 March 2026
POLICE HARASSMENT AND FRAME-UP OF KWARA TIB COORDINATOR MUST STOP
The Take It Back Movement (TIB), Kwara State Chapter, strongly condemns the ongoing harassment, intimidation, and attempted criminalization of peaceful civic engagement against its State Coordinator, Comrade Saidu Musa Tsaragi, by officers of the Nigeria Police Force in Kwara State.
On 26 February 2026, after participating in a peaceful protest, Comrade Saidu Musa Tsaragi returned to his residence in Tsaragi community, Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State. Shockingly, Ndana Siroko Makama Tsaragi, the father of the Special Assistant to the Kwara State Government on Social Investment, led a group of thugs to his compound where he was violently attacked and beaten. During the assault, the attackers repeatedly questioned why he had led the protest.
Following the attack, Comrade Saidu Musa Tsaragi reported the matter at the Tsaragi Police Division. However, instead of acting on the complaint and inviting the accused, the police failed to compel Ndana Siroko Makama Tsaragi to appear. In a further display of negligence and extortion, officers at the Tsaragi Division demanded that Comrade Saidu provide “logistics” to transfer the case to Ilorin. Under pressure, he was forced to send the sum of ₦20,000.
Upon arriving in Ilorin, the situation took a disturbing turn. Rather than investigate the assault against him, officers of the Anti-Robbery Unit at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inexplicably turned the victim into a suspect. The individual who led the attack was removed from the case entirely, while Comrade Saidu was charged to court on allegations of public disturbance.
He was granted bail the same day, and the matter was adjourned to 26 March 2026.
However, immediately after the court sitting on March 26, as Comrade Saidu was leaving the court premises, police officers arrested him again under questionable circumstances. When he demanded an explanation, an officer falsely claimed that he had been calling him earlier. Despite informing them that he would appear with his lawyer after the court session, the officer insisted that he must accompany him immediately.
At the State CID, Comrade Saidu clearly stated that he would not write any statement until his lawyer arrived. When his lawyer eventually came, the Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Ghana, demanded that he rewrite his statement, which he did in the presence of his lawyer. The officer also recorded him on video while asking questions and subsequently asked the lawyer to endorse the statement, which was done.
The matter was then taken before the Deputy Commissioner (DC) in charge of the State CID, who stated that Comrade Saidu should be allowed to leave and simply return on another date. However, another officer identified as Mr. Dada insisted that he must produce a new surety in addition to the one already standing for him.
Comrade Saidu rejected this arbitrary demand, reminding them that the DC had already instructed that the existing surety should remain valid and that he should only return on another date. He made it clear that he would not produce another surety simply to satisfy what appeared to be a deliberate attempt to harass and intimidate him.
Eventually, the Officer-in-Charge (OC), applying some level of reason, allowed him to leave and directed that he should return on 27 March 2026. This was around 6:25 PM.
This entire sequence of events exposes a deeply troubling pattern of abuse of power, intimidation, and the deliberate persecution of a citizen whose only “offense” is organizing and participating in peaceful protest.
The Take It Back Movement views this as a politically motivated attempt to silence dissent and criminalize civic activism in Kwara State.
We therefore make the following demands:
- Immediate withdrawal of all fabricated charges against Comrade Saidu Musa Tsaragi.
- A thorough and independent investigation into the assault carried out by Ndana Siroko Makama Tsaragi and the thugs who attacked him.
- Investigation and sanction of police officers at the Tsaragi Police Division who demanded ₦20,000 as “logistics” before transferring a criminal complaint.
- An end to the harassment and intimidation of activists and members of the Take It Back Movement in Kwara State.
- Respect for the constitutional rights of citizens to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and association.
The Nigeria Police Force must remember that its constitutional duty is to protect citizens, not to shield politically connected individuals while persecuting victims.
We also call on civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and the general public to pay close attention to this case and demand accountability.
The Take It Back Movement will not be intimidated or silenced. We remain committed to the struggle for justice, accountability, and the protection of democratic rights.
Signed:
Comrade Saidu Musa Tsaragi
State Coordinator
Take It Back Movement (TIB), Kwara State Chapter
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