Convener of the BringBackOur- Girls# (BBOG) Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, was yesterday arrested and briefly detained by the police in Abuja by the Police.
Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, was arrested alongside nine other members of the BBOG while they were on a protest march to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the seat of government in Nigeria.
Source learnt that they were arrested at the Unity Fountain, the mustering point for most protests in Abuja. Other members of the group, who were also arrested included Aisha Yesufu, Maureen Kabrik, Jeff Okoroafor and six others, whose names could not be ascertained as at press time.
The BBOG had in the last four years staged periodic protests to demand the release of over 200 girls, who were abducted from their hostel at Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists. However, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command denied that it arrested the activists.
The police command , said no arrest was made but rather, the former minister and others “were only brought to the Command”, to avoid an alleged breakdown of law and order.
The statement from the Police read: “The FCT Police Command wishes to clear the air and set the record straight that it did not arrest or detain Prof Oby Ezekwesili and some mem bers of the Bring Back Our Girls group (BBOG) as being speculated on some social media platforms.
“It is pertinent to state that they were only brought to the Command to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order as some members of the group reacted violently and broke down security barriers set up by the police to restrict their protest to Unity Fountain.
“The members of the group were addressed by the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Sadiq Abubakar Bello, who reiterated the commitment of the Command to protect lives and property and enjoined the Bring Back Our Girls members to go about their lawful businesses.
“After the briefing by the Commissioner of Police, the members of the group left the Command.” According to a statement posted on the BBOG Whatsapp platform, Ezekwesili and others arrested members of the group were awaiting for a formal charge by the police and were still in detention but the police was yet to tell them why they were being detained
Comments
