The
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has said that the protests by the #BringBackOurGirls
coalition constitute a security threat to public peace and order.
The
Chibok girls’ campaigners, he said, must understand that in the exercise of
their rights, they must not trample on other peoples’ rights through
“over-dramatisation of emotions, self-serving propaganda and disrespect of
public (office) holders.”
Idris
said this on Wednesday when the National President of the National Council of
Women Societies, Gloria Shoda, and other executives members visited him at the
Force headquarters, Abuja.
The
IG sympathised with the parents of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls, noting that
the government had invested huge resources to ensure that they were rescued and
re-united with their families.
He
said, “However, the activities of the BringBackOurGirls
group in Abuja, the nation’s capital recently, is becoming worrisome and a
threat to public peace and order.
“The
#BringBackOurGirls protagonists
must understand that in the exercise of their rights, they must not trample on
other peoples’ rights through over-dramatisation of emotions, self-serving
propaganda and disrespect of public (office) holders.
“The
police will not sit on the fence and watch such a scenario unfold. The rights
of law-abiding citizens must be protected within the context of the law. Enough
is enough. We however ask that they tread with caution and that their
grievances be channeled within the ambit of the law.”
But
the BBOG in its reaction, denied being unruly or constituting a public nuisance
during its street protests.
Its
spokesman, Abdulahi Abubakar, said the BBOG had the constitutional right to
protest, stressing that the coalition would continue to press home its demand
for the release of the girls through various legitimate means, including street
protests.
Speaking
earlier, the NCWS President, commended the police for maintaining security in
the Federal Capital Territory in spite of the protests by the BBOG.
Source: The Punch
Tags
Politics