Bring Back Our Girls; Wrong Response By The Police

It hardly came as a surprise that the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, headed by Police

Signs of government irritation at being found out as incompetent and dishonest had manifested for weeks. Last week, a group of protesters, obviously raised by the Federal Government, attacked peaceful protesters in Abuja. This was quickly followed up by the inane claim of Mr. Labaran Maku, the Information Minister, that 90 per cent of those involved in the #Bring back our girls campaign were members of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

Whatever doubts remained about the government feeling hot under the collar were removed yesterday when the FCT Police Command, at a news quoted the CP Mbu as banning the campaign with immediate effect on the ground that the campaigners had developed into a serious security threat to residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

“As the FCT Police boss, I cannot fold my hands and watch this lawlessness. Information reaching us is that soon, dangerous elements will join groups under the guise of protest and detonate explosives aimed at embarrassing the government.

“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 nuisance to the government,” Mbu was quoted as saying.

We commend Mbu and his command for their concern and sense of duty. However, there is absolutely no legal basis for the power the Police Commissioner is relying on to ban lawful assembly. Until the government-backed protesters caused violence last week, the popular one led by Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, a former World Bank big shot, had recorded no untoward event for the 34 days it ran.

Even the police had initially said the protests were legitimate. Protests of the peaceful variety are a part of democracy all over the world. No law requires Nigerians to obtain police permits before lawful assembly. What the government has done is to demonstrate that, without a doubt, it does not want to take responsibility for the abduction of the girls and has been clearly embarrassed by its initial denial of the saga and tepid response to it.

Mbu, of course, has premiered his inglorious conduct in Abuja. As CP of Rivers State, he was a virtual errand boy for the President and his wife, who used him as a battle axe in their feud with Governor Rotimi Amaechi. We are happy that the campaigners are undettered and have headed for the court. We call on Mbu to rescind his plainly illegal and partisan decision to abridge one of the freedoms granted us by the law.
Commissioner Joseph Mbu, would come down heavily and illegally on the peaceful sit-in embarked upon by harmless citizens demanding the release of the over 200 school girls abducted by Boko Haram.