Exponent News Akure
JUNE 12 IN AKURE: THE PEOPLE RISE AS GOVERNMENT TURNS ON PROTESTERS
By Exponent News, Akure
June 12, 2025
ONDO BOILS AS DEMOCRACY DIES IN THE DARK
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest marking the historic June 12 Democracy Day turned into a battlefield today in Akure, Ondo State, as state-backed thugs allegedly descended on unarmed citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
In an electrifying and defiant address delivered at the protest ground, a leading voice of the oppressed decried the brutality meted out on demonstrators and condemned the Ondo State government’s complicity in what he described as a “shameful assault on freedom.”
“I was sentenced to death before, and I’m not afraid. They tried to attack me today too. But we stood firm. We’ve told the Commissioner of Police: if nothing is done, we’ll be back. We’ll take over this place. We’ll occupy it!”
The protester, known for his unwavering stance against tyranny, exposed how the United States allegedly relocated a notorious state actor now operating from Accra, coordinating attacks on peaceful Nigerian citizens.
A legal notice had earlier been sent to the Commissioner of Police, not as a plea, but as a warning: do your duty—protect the people. That duty, the activist insists, was betrayed.
“The people have a right to protest. No government has the right to stop that. We are the voice of the oppressed, and we will not be silenced.”
BETRAYAL OF HISTORY AND THE BLOOD OF JUNE 12
The irony is cruel: today’s repression comes on the very day Nigerians remember the sacrifice of June 12, a symbol of resistance against authoritarian rule. But rather than honor it, the Ondo State government appears to be replicating the tactics of those who trampled on that dream.
“Ayedatiwa, the governor we once fought to install, has become the monster we once resisted. His thugs attacked us today. His silence is complicity. He has forgotten the river that carried him into power.”
The speaker recalled how the Deji of Akure once locked protest halls against them, how they forced doors open with truth, and how history is repeating itself—this time with greater venom and betrayal.
REJECTING A COALITION OF CROOKS
Addressing mounting pressure to join a national opposition coalition, the activist made his position clear: No coalition with political mercenaries.
“I will never sit with Atiku, Amaechi, Malami, or those who brought Buhari to power. These men are not the future. They are the rot of our past.”
He called instead for a “coalition of the oppressed”—the 53 million Nigerians who didn’t vote in 2023, the millions tired of recycled politicians, the millions who can reclaim power by 12 noon, peacefully.
POLICE RESPOND: DENIAL OR DAMAGE CONTROL?
The Ondo State Commissioner of Police Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi gave an action response hours later, dismissing allegations of police collusion with thugs as “baseless.”
“With my international training and experience, I will never allow my officers to work with thugs,” he said, calling for evidence before launching an investigation.
But protesters remain unconvinced, pointing out that the thugs operated freely, under police watch.
“The governor must know this: the silence of the people is not weakness. It is gathering rage,” the activist warned. “We will not allow this tyranny to flourish under our watch.”
THE REVOLUTION HAS NO CALENDAR
This is not just about Ondo. This is about a nation at a tipping point. A nation where the oppressed are finding their voice—and refusing to be intimidated.
Today in Akure, the line was drawn.
And across Nigeria, millions are watching.
The message is clear: the people are ready. The question is—will the government listen before the storm becomes a hurricane?
🟥 This is Exponent News. We do not report for the powerful. We report for the people.
