Ban On Chibok Girls Protest: You Are On Your Own Police Tells CP Mbu

The police have made a detour on the Monday
ban placed on Abuja residents protesting the
continued hostage of over 200 Chibok
schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorists.
The force public relations officer, CSP Frank
Mba, made this known yesterday during a media
briefing where he said the police only issued
advisory notice enjoining citizens to apply
caution in the said rallies.
The FCT commissioner of police, Joseph Mbu,
during a briefing on Monday said the police had
placed a ban on any form of rallies over the
abducted Chibok schoolgirls, adding that the
protesters were constituting a nuisance in the
nation’s capital.
“The Police High Command wishes to inform
the general public that the Force has not issued
any order banning peaceful assemblies/protests
anywhere in Nigeria,” Mba said. “However
against the backdrop of current security
challenges in the country, coupled with a recent
intelligence report of a likely infiltration and
hijack of otherwise innocuous and peaceful
protests by some criminal elements having links
with insurgents, the police only issued advisory
notice, enjoining citizens to apply caution in the
said rallies, particularly in the Federal Capital
Territory and its environs.”
Reminding citizens of the earlier position of the
Force on peaceful rallies, which he said the
police high command regards as the
constitutional and democratic rights of
Nigerians, Mba said the inspector-general of
police, Mohammed Abubakar, stressed the need
for the organizers of such rallies to ensure that
they sought proper advice and guidance from
the police before engaging in any such exercise
so as to avoid any unpleasant circumstances.
“The IGP calls on the general public to see the
present position of the Force as a necessary
sacrifice for the peace our nation needs, as
security is a collective responsibility.
“Consequently, citizens are strongly advised to
reconsider their positions on the issues of rallies
and protests in the FCT until the existing threats
are appropriately neutralized and removed
from our midst by relevant security agencies,”
he said.