The protests, which took place on June 12, 2026, coinciding with Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebrations, were organised in response to the worsening security situation in several parts of the country. Participants demanded urgent government action to address the persistent wave of kidnappings, terrorist attacks, and mass abductions affecting communities nationwide.
Among those who joined the demonstrations were prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, and singer Falz, all of whom lent their voices to calls for stronger measures against insecurity.
Speaking in an Instagram video days after the protest, Falz expressed frustration over what he described as attempts to distract from the core issues raised by demonstrators. According to the musician, groups of counter protesters, many of them women, were allegedly assembled to oppose the movement.
The singer did not hold back in his criticism, warning that the country's security challenges had reached a critical stage.
“This is literally the end of us if we allow this to continue.”
Recounting his experience at the protest, Falz said:
“Free all captive, end Insecurity now. We stepped out on Friday to protest the worsening level of insecurity and the mass abduction across the country. What was wild to see was that Tinubu and his supporters had rented a crowd of counter protesters, the majority of which were women. These women has children.”
He argued that many Nigerians may not fully understand the scale of the insecurity crisis, pointing to recent incidents involving schoolchildren and rural communities affected by attacks.
“In case you don’t know why we were out there protesting, the children that were taken from the school in Oyo state had not been found.”
The rapper also referenced reports of deadly attacks in communities across Kwara and Borno states, lamenting that many victims remain in captivity months after the incidents occurred.
“There’s a community called Woro in Kwara state, in February 3rd into 4th this same year by 5:30pm insurgence attacked this community from 5:30pm broad day light into the next morning there was a sustained attack, they massacre about 200 people while about 176 people were taken away and they are still in captivity.”
Continuing his appeal, Falz highlighted the plight of children reportedly abducted during attacks on schools in parts of the North-East.
“There were also attacks in two communities in Borno that are also in primary and secondary schools. And those children are still not return home.”
The award-winning artist warned Nigerians against becoming indifferent to the growing insecurity, stressing that the threat could affect anyone regardless of social status or location.
“It could be your children tomorrow. Just you don’t know what you were doing, this is the breaking point. This is literally the end of us if we allow this to continue.”
Falz further linked the security crisis to the broader economic hardship facing citizens, arguing that concerns about rising living costs become secondary when lives are constantly under threat.
“We’ve been complaining of how difficult things are, how high the cost of living is becoming or how are you even going to hustle or make a better living if you’re not even alive.”
His comments have since sparked debate on social media, with supporters arguing that the government must intensify efforts to curb insecurity, while others have challenged his claims regarding the alleged sponsorship of counter protesters.
The #EndInsecurity protests added to growing public pressure on authorities to address rising concerns over safety, particularly in communities affected by recurring attacks, kidnappings, and mass abductions.