#BringBackOurGirls group challenges ban in court
The #BringBackOurGirls protesters in Abuja pressuring the federal government to expedite the rescue of the abducted Chibok girls are filing a suit in court on Tuesday to challenge Monday’s ban of their protest by commissioner of police in the city, Mbu Joseph Mbu.
The group, which has been organising sit-ins and marches to key government actors over the last 34 days, was banned from further convening to “forestall breakdown of law and order”.
“We wish to remind the commissioner of police, Mbu, that he cannot take any action that violates our constitutionally-guaranteed rights as citizens, particularly our rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, amongst others, as enshrined in Chapter Four (Section 40) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended),” leaders of the group, Obiageli Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman, wrote in a statement.
“We are puzzled about the inconsistencies in the communication emanating from the Nigerian Police. We recall that on May 12, 2014, the Nigeria Police Force on its website published a news item with the title: ‘Police Not Against Peaceful Assemblies, in which the inspector-general of police, M.D. Abubakar restated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to the protection and enforcement of the fundamental rights of citizens.”
They recalled that the group had been widely acknowledged — by even the police and the federal government delegation that represented President Goodluck Jonathan at a meeting — as a peaceful, disciplined, and decorous team.
“In consonance with our approach, we shall today be in court with our lawyer, Femi Falana SAN to file a suit challenging this purported ban by C.P. Mbu,” they said.
“In the interim, we shall not hold our sit-out tomorrow June 3, 2014, because we shall be accompanying our lawyers to the court, where we hope to obtain an immediate restraint on this unconstitutional, undemocratic and repressive act.”
They maintained that their movement is “legitimate and lawful”, so it cannot be arrested by the police, whose responsibility is to enforce, not betray the law.
“We, the members of the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, remain resolute and will persist in using all lawful means to sustain our peaceful advocacy for the safe rescue of the Chibok Girls,” they added, before urging “all those in Nigeria and other nations that have similarly taken a stand for the cause of the girls to continue to do so with the clarion call: BRING BACK OUR GIRLS, NOW AND ALIVE!!!”
The legitimate right of the #BringBackOurGirls protesters vividly ought to be ascribed to the Boko Haram who are in possession of these girls. A child cries to his parent whom he knows is in possession of his necessity. I thus use this means to tell the leader of the group protesting to disturb the peace and the co-existence of Nigerians and Nigeria Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman to direct their protest to the boko haram at their hideouts like Chibok and Sanbester Forest. Therefore, the police should be alert to curb this minace of protest in the wrong place and wrong direction. This might incite other protests and the breakdown of law and order.
Harry Isobom, your arguments are not only childish but also totally irrelevant. You probably don’t understand the most basic duty of government which is to protect lives and properties of the citizens. So, if the government fails to live up to expectation, the citizens should keep quiet and say nothing so as not to “incite other protests and the breakdown of law and order”. what a warped reasoning! Pray, if you engage a guard to secure your family and properties and your house is burgled, you’d rather protest to the robbers rather than hold the guard accountable? I now know why this government has continued to wobble from one mistake to another! With commentators like you , this nation is certainly heading for godot. How I wish atleast 2 of your children are involved. Maybe you’ll still advance the same thought. May God help us and deliver us from ignorant armchair commentators.