The Take It Back (TIB) Movement has condemned the rampant attacks and harassment of individuals expressing legitimate dissent in Gombe State.
The group called for an independent and transparent investigation into alleged human rights violations under the Governor Muhammadu Yahaya administration.
The TIB Movement, therefore, called for an independent and impartial investigation to be conducted publicly, allowing victims of alleged political violence to make submissions without fear or intimidation.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Juwon Sanyaolu, the movement said there were disturbing revelations of a pattern of social and political repression in the state, which it said was depriving citizens of their rights to freedom of association and expression.
According to the TIB Movement, a recent viral video showing the assault on a serving councillor of Shamaki Ward, Abdulrahman Sheriff, by a Senior Special Assistant to Gombe State Governor, is only one of several cases in which individuals have allegedly been attacked for expressing dissenting views.
The group also recalled the case of its Gombe coordinator, Thomas Umar, who reportedly spent more than a month in detention and faced repeated persecution for opposing a lawmaker in the state.
“These incidents risk making Gombe a pariah state and an enclave of human rights violations. Time is running out for Governor Yahaya to end this reign of brutal assaults. Investigation shows that previous complaints and petitions about these incidents had been either not acted upon or entirely ignored, thus leaving the victims with injuries and lack of justice,” Sanyaolu said.
The TIB Movement, therefore, demanded a full investigation and prosecution of many government aides, including Senior Special Assistant, Ali Kaya; Chairman of the Governor’s Social Media Team, Rabiu Goro; Senior Special Assistant, Muttaka Rubutu, and a Senior Special Assistant, Mai Rago, over their alleged involvement in reported cases of political repression.
The Movement also called for investigation into the alleged assault on Haruna Harunfat by Yusuf Ure on December 13, 2025, which it said, was linked to a radio interview critical of the state government.
Also, the TIB Movement recalled that in January 2023, Yakubu Halliru, a presenter with Radio Nigeria Jewel FM in Gombe, was arrested and detained for 24 hours following a political programme aired on the station. It also cited the March 2022 arrest and two-month detention of Abuja-based businessman and social critic, Bala Sani, over Facebook posts, described by the state government as insulting.
Sanyaolu, while describing the trend as dangerous and unacceptable, said the alleged involvement of government appointees made it impossible for the state government to demonstrate that it was not complicit in the reported abuses.
The Movement further urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to closely monitor developments in Gombe to prevent human rights violations from becoming an informal policy of the state government.
“People of Gombe are entitled to freedom of expression. Any attempt to deprive people of any of the fundamental human rights is an attack on rule of law and due process,” Sanyaolu added.
