Take-It-Back Movement Secures Release Of Six Wrongfully Detained Inmates In Lagos’ Kirikiri Prison
According to the Head of Interventions at the Take-It-Back Legal Aid Department, the breakthrough was made possible through the relentless efforts of the movement’s leader, Omoyele Sowore, in collaboration with the Take-It-Back Global Movement leadership and the Tope Temokun chambers, Lagos.
The Take-It-Back Movement has secured the release of six wrongfully detained inmates from the Kirikiri Maximum Security Correctional Facility between January and March 2025.
According to the Head of Interventions at the Take-It-Back Legal Aid Department, the breakthrough was made possible through the relentless efforts of the movement’s leader, Omoyele Sowore, in collaboration with the Take-It-Back Global Movement leadership and the Tope Temokun chambers, Lagos.
“These were not mere court victories,” the spokesperson said, “they were acts of defiance against a system designed to silence, forget, and discard innocent Nigerians.”
The effort began in January when Sowore personally intervened in the case of Seaking, a young Nigerian TikToker arrested for expressing critical views of government policies via the social media app — an act protected under Section 38 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees freedom of expression and the press.
“As we were perfecting his bail at the Ọgbà Magistrate Court, Sowore noticed two other young men facing similarly unjust circumstances,” the spokesperson explained.
“Despite having no prior relationship with them, he intervened — and they, too, walked free.”
That moment sparked the formation of the Legal Aid Department of the Take-It-Back Movement, described by the group as a “flame lit against the darkness of injustice.”
Later in January, two members of the department — Damilare Adenola and the department head — visited the Kirikiri Correctional Facility to assess the cases of detainees.
What they found was a grim portrait of a broken justice system: eleven inmates held for months, some for years, without trial, without legal representation, and without hope.
The Movement’s legal crusade was fortified by Mr. Tope Temokun, Principal Partner of Tope Temokun Chambers, who committed to offering free legal representation to the forgotten inmates.
“Mr. Temokun is a principled and courageous lawyer in the order of Chief Gani Fawehinmi,” the department said, praising his legacy of fearless advocacy.
One of his associates, Terhemba Kaabeega, was instrumental in securing the court victories, tirelessly moving from court to court.
Yet, the path to justice was anything but smooth.
“These six victories were not handed to us freely as Tinubu hands over Nigerians to poverty,” the statement said, criticising the APC-led administration.
“We confronted a system rigged for delay: adjournments upon adjournments, prosecutors failing to appear, and magistrates making a mockery of justice.”
The group insists their mission is not about recognition but about reclaiming dignity for the voiceless.
“We are not here for applause. We are here for justice and we will not back down on being the voice, the shield, and the sword for the voiceless.”
The six freed inmates have since expressed their gratitude and have given full consent for their stories and images to be shared publicly.
“This is a testament to the power of justice and rehabilitation,” the group noted.
All released individuals voluntarily shared their stories and consented to the publication of their images, in line with their constitutional rights to dignity and privacy under Sections 34 and 37 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Their stories now stand as living proof that justice, though often delayed and denied in Nigeria, is not beyond reach — especially when ordinary citizens take extraordinary action.
