The Federal
Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, today banned all
protests over the 234 abducted Chibok school girls in the territory
with immediate effect.
According to PUNCH, Mbu announced the ban at a news conference in Abuja, said that the trend of the
protest in the FCT was posing a serious security threat.
“Accordingly,
protests on the Chibok girls are hereby banned with immediate effect. As the
FCT police boss, I cannot fold my hands and watch this lawlessness (protests).
Information reaching us is that too soon, dangerous elements will join groups
under the guise of protest and detonate explosives aimed at embarrassing the
government,” he said.
He said that after
a group under the aegis of “#Bring Back Our Girls’’ protested on April
28, another group “Release Our Girls” emerged.
Mbu, the former
Rivers State Police Commissioner, said that information at the
disposal of the command indicated that “dangerous elements” were about to
hijack the protest hence the ban.
Mbu said that a
situation where the ‘Fountain of Unity’, venue of gathering for the protest was
being turned into a place for “cooking and selling” was embarrassing.
According to him,
many diplomats live in that area of the territory.
He called on the
people of the territory to encourage the security agencies in the war against
terrorism and criminality by appreciating the sacrifices they had made and
would continue to make.
Asked whether the
ban would not violate freedom of expression and assembly of the protesters, the
commissioner said that one person’s freedom should not affect other peoples’
freedom.
“People have been
protesting over a month now…it is the issue of terrorism, it is not solved in
one day. Then, when you continue to do it persistently, it becomes a nuisance
to the government,” he noted.
In a related Story former Minister for Educationand leader of the #Bringbackourgirls Protest Oby Ezekwesili took to Twitter to speak out on the ban. Read her tweets below
The FG would do well to send its officials who wish to roll back our Democracy by infringing on Citizens Rights to my #Democracy101 Class.
There is no BASIS for and no POWER of FCT Commissioner of Police to ban peaceful assembly of any group of persons in in the city. None @ ALL
We of the AbujaFamily of #BringBackOurGirls have in the face of harassment by both the Nigerian Police &hired thugs maintained our CIVILITY
What Commissioner Mbu should do is REPRIMAND their sponsored thugs who attacked us, WOMEN at our peaceful gathering. He can. He hired them.
When their thugs attacked us while Mbu’s POLICEmen stood aloof, we refused to engage wt their gutter conduct. We figured this was their PLOT
Predictably, Mbu has proven by his latest ill advised statement of repression of Citizens Rights that he and his bosses HIRED those THUGS.
If Mbu’s daughter were one of 200 Daughters of Nigeria held captive by terrorists & We came out to STAND 4 their CAUSE, he would do this??
Our AbujaFamily of #BringBackOurGirls diverse women, men and young people STANDING with our #ChibokGirls SHALL never abandon them. Never!
No matter how DIRELY they want to take our FOCUS off our #ChibokGirls, We shall not permit them that LUXURY. All WE are SAYING………!!!
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