The leadership of the African Action Congress (AAC) and its affiliated movement, Take It Back (TIB), has announced plans to stage a peaceful protest march from Eagle Square to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, June 4, 2026, to demand urgent government action against the growing wave of kidnappings across Nigeria.
According to the organizers, the protest, scheduled to commence at 8:00 a.m., aims to press for the immediate rescue and release of schoolchildren and other victims currently being held by kidnappers in different parts of the country.
The protesters are also expected to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure the safe return of the abducted victims or take responsibility for what they describe as a failure to fulfill the government’s fundamental duty of protecting the lives and security of Nigerians.
The planned action follows growing public concern over recent cases of school abductions and the worsening security situation in several parts of the country.
Human rights activist and AAC presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, had earlier warned that citizens would mobilize to the Presidential Villa if urgent measures were not taken to secure the release of kidnapped schoolchildren.
He described the increasing spate of kidnappings as evidence of a deepening security crisis that requires immediate and decisive government intervention.
The protest, being organized under the banner of the “#OccupyAsoRock” campaign, forms part of a broader national call for safer schools, improved security, and greater accountability from elected leaders.
Organizers have urged students, parents, civil society organizations, and concerned Nigerians to participate in what they describe as a peaceful civic action against insecurity and the continued abduction of innocent citizens.
Eagle Square, the designated take-off point for the march, has historically served as a venue for major national rallies, demonstrations, and civic engagements within the Federal Capital Territory.
The protesters are expected to proceed to the Presidential Villa, the seat of Nigeria’s executive authority, located within Abuja’s Three Arms Zone.
The planned demonstration comes amid renewed national conversations about school safety, more than a decade after the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, an incident that drew global attention to the vulnerability of educational institutions to attacks by criminal and insurgent groups.
As of Wednesday evening, there had been no official response from the Presidency regarding the planned protest.
However, observers note that demonstrations around the Presidential Villa often attract heightened security deployments because of the strategic importance of the area and the need to maintain public order.
The organizers insist that the march will remain peaceful and focused on drawing national attention to the plight of kidnapped children and other victims, while demanding decisive action from the government to end the scourge of mass abductions across Nigeria.
