A combined team of policemen and men of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday halted a peaceful procession of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group at the Independence Avenue, Abuja.
The protesters, who were clad in red shirts and armed with placards, had taken off from the Unity Fountain, Maitama, with the aim of seeing President Muhammadu Buhari to demand an update on the abducted Chibok girls.
However, on getting to the Independence Avenue which leads to Aso Rock, about 60 security agents formed a barricade, effectively preventing the protesters from proceeding.
The BBOG had declared a 14-day line-up of activities to force Buhari to act more decisively in rescuing the Chibok school girls who have been in captivity for over 800 days.
The co-convener of the group/former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, told the police that they had come to see the President, arguing that he is answerable to Nigerians who elected him into office.
She also asked the policemen to allow the protesters to move closer.
She said, “Who is the officer in charge of this command? The problem is that we still have our members on the highway. For many years, we have been advocating, we have never engaged in anarchy”
However, the policemen did not allow the protesters to get beyond the Independence Avenue.
The policemen, led by CSP Chuks Obasi, said they were acting under strict orders.
Obasi subsequently approached Ezekwesili to explain his position, but she took offence, warning the senior officer to address her in civil manner.
“Don’t point your finger at me. Respect me because I did not point my finger at you,” she said.
In his response, Obasi said, “Well, I have my mandate and my mandate is to ensure that the protest does not assume a violent dimension.”
The protesters therefore resorted to sitting on the road and playing protest music.
Meanwhile, members of the Chibok community, on Monday, expressed disappointment with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s-led Federal Government over its handling of the abducted school girls.
The residents during a rally in conjuction with the BringBackOurGirls movement in Abuja, said they regretted voting for Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.
They expressed disappointment over the inability of the Buhari’s government to take measures to rescue the over 200 school girls abducted by the Boko Haram terrorist group from their school in Chibok, Borno State, two years ago.
The Chairman of the Chibok Community in Abuja, Hosea Tsambido, said members of the Community and BBOG voted massively for Buhari as against his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, a decision they seriously regret.
Tsambido said, “They tell us that our girls seen in the latest video was merely an arrangement.
“No one has spoken to the family of any of the Chibok girls since the last video was released, by the terrorists. We regret our votes. We regret it.
“We were promised that the president would visit Sambisa, after becoming president. We were also told that within two weeks our girls would be rescued.
“But over one year now, there is no tangible statement about our girls. The presidency has stated instead that it is confused.”
