Chibok girls: Police stop BBOG protest again

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.