by Isi Esene

Joseph Mbu, the Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory has announced a ban on all protests against the delayed rescue of over 230 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno on April 14.

Mbu announced the ban today at a press conference explaining that the protests are progressively posing a security threat to the FCT.

“Accordingly, protests on the Chibok girls are hereby banned with immediate effect. As the FCT police boss, I cannot fold my hands and watch this lawlessness (protests). Information reaching us is that too soon, dangerous elements will join groups under the guise of protest and detonate explosives aimed at embarrassing the government,” he said.

He said that after a group under the aegis of  “#Bring Back Our Girls’’ protested on April 28, another group “Release Our Girls” emerged.

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Mbu, the former Rivers State Police Commissioner, said that information at the disposal of the command indicated that “dangerous elements” were about to hijack the protest hence the ban.

Mbu said that a situation where the ‘Fountain of Unity’, venue of gathering for the protest was being turned into a place for “cooking and selling” was embarrassing.

According to him, many diplomats live in that area of the territory.

He called on the people of the territory to encourage the security agencies in the war against terrorism and criminality by appreciating the sacrifices they had made and would continue to make.

Asked whether the ban would not violate freedom of expression and assembly of the protesters, the commissioner said that one person’s freedom should not affect other peoples’ freedom.

“People have been protesting over a month now…it is the issue of terrorism, it is not solved in one day. Then, when you continue to do it persistently, it becomes a nuisance to the government,” he noted.