Suppressing voices of dissent is hardly an acceptable course of action in a democracy. But that seems to be the choice that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was forced to embrace last week when some heavily-kitted security officials forcefully disrupted a scheduled protest march to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners. It has emerged as a serious dent in the image of a government that is fast losing trust and credibility.
Everyone is familiar with the activities of the BBOG group, led by a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, and the co-convener, Aisha Yusuf. These distinguished Nigerians have taken it upon themselves to situate public attention firmly on the unfortunate incident of April 14, 2014, when 276 schoolgirls were forcibly carted away from their school into captivity by a bloodthirsty Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. Up till this day, over 100 of them are still in the custody of their abductors. In a country that is readily prone to amnesia, where people are always in a hurry to move on, the BBOG group is making a difference.
Disrupting their procession is, therefore, the last thing anybody could have expected, especially coming from a government whose operatives once suffered that ignominy of having their own public assembly rudely dispersed while in opposition. But as the BBOG members gathered at the Unity Fountain to begin their march, one in a series it had planned to undertake, overzealous combat-ready police officers formed a cordon to prevent them from proceeding. As if that was not bad enough, Ezekwesili was reportedly detained while other members of the group were arrested and taken to the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.
This is a blatant violation of the constitutionally-guaranteed right of citizens to freedom of assembly and association. The police have been trying to rationalise their actions by saying that they were not arrested. “It is pertinent to say that they were only brought to the command to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order…,” the command claimed in a statement. But this is an insult to the group and its leadership. Anybody who knows the pedigree of the members of the group would know that they are not persons to be associated with a “breakdown of law and order.”
This could be termed an unfortunate incident perpetrated by an agency of government under the direct control of the President. But it is sadly becoming a trend with this administration after a similar protest march by members of the Resume or Resign group was violently broken up last year. The coalition of civil society groups, also featuring a musician and activist, Charles Oputa, a.k.a. Charlie Boy, had gone to protest the absence of the President from office due to a medical trip abroad to treat an undisclosed ailment when they were swooped upon by the police.
Even when they were attacked by some hoodlums under the guise of rival protesters, supporting the President, the security agents failed to give them adequate protection. Notably, those rival protesters were not touched, but were allowed a free rein to vent their sentiments. In August and September last year, the BBOG group’s marches to the Villa were similarly aborted in a display of official highhandedness.
Significantly, as the BBOG group was being dispersed last week, another group that had gone to protest the continued detention of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, was also violently broken up. The cleric, who was picked up after a bloody clash between members of his group and the military in 2015, has been in detention for more than two years now, despite several court orders that he be released.
This is particularly bad for the Buhari government, given what the country is currently passing through. There is no gainsaying the fact that there is widespread discontent across the land and the people are divided more than ever before, due, in the main, to perceived clannishness or sectionalism in running the affairs of the government. This is the time that the government should be seeking to empathise with the citizens instead of visiting them with further alienation.
That the BBOG group is still engaged in protest marches today is a damning attestation to the failure of the government. It is further evidence that the lives of citizens matter little to the government. Yet, government is supposed to exist, primarily, to protect lives and property. It is a serious indictment of the Buhari government that the girls have remained captive up till now. Their captivity may not have happened under his tenure, but that is why government is a continuum. Buhari confirmed this at his inauguration when he promised not to rest until the Chibok girls were rescued alive.
It is time to remind the police and other security agencies that freedom of association and assembly for peaceful purpose is an internationally-guaranteed right. The Occupy movement, which started as Occupy Wall Street in the United States, is a good example. The protest for social justice later spread to other cities of the world. But while the police were on hand to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order, the people were neither stopped nor molested. It is therefore within the rights of the BBOG members to seek redress in the court of law for the violation of their rights.
At the same time, this is the time for the government to end the agony of the abducted girls, their parents and other concerned Nigerians. Admittedly, over 100 of them have since regained their freedom, some by self-help and others by government efforts. But as the fourth anniversary of their abduction draws near, the only way to appease Nigerians and perhaps end the unwanted “irritation” from the BBOG group is to ensure that the girls are reunited with their families. We must not forget them.
