Piqued by the sudden ban placed by the FCT Police Command on any form of protest relating to Chibok girls, the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family is heading to court to obtain an injunction to restrain the police from carrying out their threat.
FCT Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, on Monday announced the ban on protest on Chibok girls “with immediate effect”, saying that the protest was degenerating into lawlessness that he could no longer condone.
Reacting to this, the #BringBackOurGirls Family expressed shock that the police could turn around to deny the citizens their fundamental rights to associate, bearing in mind that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, recently issued a statement that the police were not against peaceful assembly.
In a statement signed by the Coordinators, Oby Ezekwesili and Hadiza Bala Usman, the Movement insisted it was engaging in legitimate sit-outs, adding that Mr. Mbu has no right to deny its members their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
The statement reads in full, “We are members of the #BringBackOurGirls Abuja Family, a citizens movement advocating for the speedy rescue of the over 200 girls abducted from Chibok Secondary School, Borno state. Ours has been a single-issue campaign for the safe return of the abducted girls.
“In the last 34 days we have done so through peaceful daily sit-outs, and some marches to key governmental actors urging them to act swiftly to rescue the girls from the terrorists.
“Earlier today we received with shock the statement credited to the FCT Commissioner of Police Joseph Mbu that “…All Protests on the Chibok Girls is hereby banned with immediate effect…”
“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).
“We are puzzled about the inconsistencies in the communication emanating from the Nigerian Police. We recall that on 12th May, 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.
“Over the last 34 days, we have been widely acknowledged, including by the Police and the Federal Government delegation, which represented President Jonathan at one of our meetings for the peaceful, disciplined, and decorous manner we have always conducted the activities of our movement. In consonance with our approach, we shall tomorrow be in court with our lawyers, Femi Falana SAN to file a suit challenging this purported ban by C.P. Mbu.
“In the interim, we shall not hold our sit-out tomorrow 3rd June, 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. Our Movement is legitimate and lawful and 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. We therefore encourage 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”!!!
