Seven Years After #RevolutionNow, Baba Aye Says Nigerian State Is Turning to Thugs to Silence Dissent

 

Baba Aye says organised grassroots movements remain essential for challenging repression and economic hardship in Nigeria.

Seven years after the launch of the #RevolutionNow movement, veteran socialist and Editor of the Socialist Workers League/Secetary, Bàbá Ayé, has accused the Nigerian state of increasingly relying on non-state actors, including political thugs and hired supporters, to suppress peaceful protests alongside conventional security agencies.

In a detailed reflection marking the seventh anniversary of the #RevolutionNow campaign, the labour activist argued that the government’s response to dissent has evolved from direct police repression to what he described as a coordinated alliance involving security agencies, ruling party loyalists and hired crowds.

According to him, the anniversary protests organised by the African Action Congress (AAC) on August 5 across several states demonstrated a worrying pattern in which state institutions and political actors allegedly worked together to frustrate peaceful demonstrations.

He recalled that the first #RevolutionNow protests in August 2019 spread across 23 Nigerian cities despite the arrest of AAC National Chairperson Omoyele Sowore by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Bàbá Ayé said security agencies deployed police, soldiers, DSS operatives, SARS personnel and other paramilitary officers to stop the demonstrations, leading to injuries and dozens of arrests.

Despite that crackdown, he argued that the movement survived and has remained at the centre of Nigeria’s protest politics through campaigns against economic hardship, insecurity, police brutality, poor governance, commercialisation of education, electricity challenges and workers’ rights violations.

Turning to the 2026 anniversary protests, he alleged that while heavy police deployment remained evident, a new dimension emerged with the participation of ruling party supporters and political thugs.

Lagos Protest Came Under Attack

Using the Lagos protest as an example, Bàbá Ayé alleged that AAC members who gathered at Maryland before marching towards Ojota were initially allowed to assemble peacefully before armed youths reportedly stormed the venue.

According to his account, the attackers destroyed banners, seized placards and assaulted protesters and journalists while chanting pro-government slogans.

He further alleged that police officers later dispersed the gathering with tear gas after the confrontation had begun.

He claimed that shortly afterwards, another group of people wearing pro-government branded shirts occupied the same location under police protection.

Bàbá Ayé argued that similar tactics were deployed in Abuja, where he alleged that hired demonstrators carried placards defending the Tinubu administration while portraying activists as enemies of the state.

“Reactionary Politics Is Not New”

The activist situated the latest developments within Nigeria’s political history, arguing that the use of political thugs predates the country’s independence.

He traced the practice through different political eras, referencing political violence in the First Republic, military-era sponsored support groups, transport union politics and more recent election-related violence.

According to him, organised street violence has gradually expanded beyond elections into attempts to disrupt peaceful protests.

He cited previous attacks on fuel subsidy protesters, the EndSARS demonstrations and other civic actions as examples of what he described as a growing pattern of using non-state actors to confront citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

Economic Hardship Driving Resistance

Bàbá Ayé maintained that Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions are creating widespread public dissatisfaction that cannot be permanently contained through repression.

He argued that rising poverty, unemployment and inflation are consequences of economic policies that favour the wealthy while placing greater burdens on ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, increasing hardship will inevitably continue to generate public resistance regardless of attempts to suppress protests.

He also suggested that the state’s growing dependence on force reflects weakening political legitimacy rather than strength.

Organisation Remains Key

The veteran activist stressed that spontaneous public anger alone cannot produce lasting political change.

Drawing lessons from the June 12 struggle, the Campaign for Democracy, Occupy Nigeria and the EndSARS movement, he argued that organised political structures remain essential for sustaining resistance.

He described the African Action Congress as a political platform seeking to organise workers, youths and other oppressed groups around demands for economic justice, democratic freedoms and social transformation.

According to him, the #RevolutionNow campaign was created not merely as an annual protest but as part of a broader effort to build a revolutionary movement capable of challenging Nigeria’s political and economic establishment.

Looking Beyond 2027

Bàbá Ayé warned that as the 2027 general elections approach, political tensions are likely to increase alongside attempts to suppress dissen.

However, he expressed confidence that sustained grassroots organising, solidarity and political education could overcome what he described as “reactionary politics.”

He concluded by urging Nigerians committed to social justice to continue organising peacefully while insisting that meaningful democratic change would ultimately depend on collective action rather than isolated protests.