The federal capital territory (FCT) command of Nigeria police force has banned protests and rallies at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
Sadiq Bello, commissioner of police in the FCT, disclosed this on Friday after Deji Adeyanju, an activist, was arrested for allegedly inciting civil unrest.
Adeyanju was released at 3:20pm following the intervention of Charles Oputa, better known as Charly Boy, who is the leader of OurMumuDonDo Movement.
Civil rights groups like the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement and Our Mumu Don Do, usually hold protests at the Unity Fountain.
BBOG members had converged on the fountain on Friday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls but the police disrupted the programme.
In a series of tweets on Friday, Oby Ezekwesili, leader of the movement, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police, to order.
She said rather than asking them to infringe on the rights of citizens, the police ought to be ordered to go after those responsible for killings across the country.
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Can the .@AsoRock@NGRPresident @MBuhari please ASK the IG @PoliceNG to please vacate the location of our DAILY SIT OUT for OUR #ChibokGirls?
ASK the officers of @PoliceNG to immediately RETURN our SEATS that they have carted away.
Pls RETWEET. pic.twitter.com/X3PjohKY5S
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) April 13, 2018
It is UNFORGIVABLE that OUR Movement keeps being HARASSED for advocating for abducted girls who are our fellow citizens even just a few hours to heartbreaking FOUR YEARS of their CAPTIVITY.
The DUTY @MBuhari as C-in-C owes OUR #Chibokgirls is JUSTICE OF RESCUE.#StopThisNow!!!— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) April 13, 2018
NO, .@NGRPresident
NO, .@MBuhari
NO, @AsoRockNO, @PoliceNG
YOU have NO RIGHT under our Democracy to infringe on Citizens’ Constitutional Freedoms of Expression, Association & Peaceful Assembly.
Return our SEATS.
Send your officers to find the Killer Herdsmen. #StopItNOW!— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) April 13, 2018
But your Sit-Outs and marches at the Unity Fountain have been peaceful. So what does it mean that “government is uncomfortable” peaceful protest by citizens in a Democratic Nigeria?
I hope the .@AsoRock knows that this won’t work.
WE, Citizens SHALL DEFEND our Rights. #BBOG! https://t.co/SdjllfiHJz
— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) April 13, 2018
