‘Bring Back Our Girls’ Protesters In Court To Challenge Police Ban

Members of the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaigners, Abuja Family, a citizens movement advocating for the speedy rescue of the over 200 abducted girls were in court today to challenge the protest ban by the Nigerian Police.

A statement issued by Abuja Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu banned all protest in the Federal Capital Territory .

But the coordinators of the ‘Bring Back Our Girls Protest’ insists “Ours has been a single-issue campaign for the safe return of the abducted girls. In the last 34 days we have done so through peaceful daily sit-outs, and some marches to key governmental actors urging them to act swiftly to rescue the girls from the terrorists.” states Obiageli Ezkwesili and Hadiza Usman in a jointly signed statement.

FCT Commissioner of Police had said “…All Protests on the Chibok Girls is hereby banned with immediate effect…”

The group is challenging the police  that it cannot take any action that violates “our Constitutionally guaranteed rights as citizens, particularly our rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, amongst others as enshrined in Chapter Four (Section 40) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).”