A leading human rights group, Amnesty International, has expressed concerns over “attacks” on protesters in Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Daily Trust reports that protesters under the aegis of Take It Back Movement are currently out on the streets of Abuja, Lagos and some other major cities in the country, despite repeated warnings by the police.

The movement said it called for a nationwide demonstration to address what it called the “authoritarianism of President Bola Tinubu administration, abuse of human rights and the misuse of the Cybercrime Act.”

The police authorities had warned against the protest, advising the organisers to shelve the planned demonstration as it was ill-timed and mischievous especially as the slated date for the action coincided with National Police Day.

However, the organisers defied warnings and thronged out on streets of major cities in the country to press home their demands.

In Rivers, the organisers who converged on Isaac Boro Park in Port Harcourt were teargassed before the demonstration could gather momentum.

Reacting, Amnesty International has expressed deep concerns over the incident, describing the actions by the security forces as atrocities which must be investigated.

In a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, the group said, “Amnesty is deeply concerned by security forces’ attacks on protesters in Abuja and Port Harcourt.

“Protesters and journalists were beaten in Port Harcourt. In Damaturu Yobe state 4 activists have been unlawfully arrested. These atrocities are unacceptable & must be investigated.”