The police on Tuesday prevented the #BringBackOurGirls coalition from marching to the Presidential Villa, two weeks after stopping the group from achieving the same goal. The BBOG coalition, which accused the government of ‘benumbing apathy’ to the cause of rescuing Chibok girls, had planned attempted to march to the Presidential Villa for the fourth time on Tuesday morning.
The group had on three occasions taken its protests to Aso Villa, but was prevented from reaching the seat of power by armed policemen who blocked the access road.
After stopping an attempt by the group to reach the Villa on August 22, the Inspector-General of Police said the police were not interested in preventing the group from meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari but that that protest train had to be stopped to avoid rowdiness around the seat of power.
Ahead of Tuesday’s protest, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command warned the BringBackOurGirls group that it needed police approval without which the protest would be stopped. A statement by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah, last night, said protest carried out in recent time in Abuja had obstructed traffic and created tension.
“These indiscriminate actions which are carried out in disorderly and sometimes riotous manner create unwarranted tension and apprehension among law abiding citizens and in the process obstruct legitimate business activities,” the statement read in part.
Undeterred, the BBOG coalition and sympathisers had gathered on Tuesday for the protest only to meet a wall of policemen along the way to the Presidential Villa.