15th May, 2014
Femi Adi/Kaduna
Kaduna Police Command yesterday disrupted a planned street peaceful protest organised by Women Arise For Change Initiative led by a civil rights activist, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin in the state.
P.M.News gathered that the rally which was organised in conjunction with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC was aimed at demanding the unconditional release of over 200 girls recently abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state.
However, mid way into the protest scheduled to take-off from the Murtala Mohammed Square to the state House of Assembly, heavily armed Policemen numbering over 200 and led by the state commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu disrupted the protest.
All effort by NLC Vice President, Isa Aremu to convince the Police to allow the protest go on in line with the constitutional provision of free association and expression was resisted by the Police commissioner, who said that the decision was based on an existing order banning public protest and rallies as well as the security challenges in the state.
But the Police Commissioner allayed fear of the protest being hijacked by hoodlums which might lead to breach of the relative peace being enjoyed in the state.
While addressing the protesters within the Murtala Square, Odumakin insisted that the federal government should on no ground exchange the abducted girls for Boko Haram prisoners.
She noted with disappointment that the ‘wicked act’ took place despite the declaration of state of emergency in Borno state and without the interruption of the nation’s security forces.
“We refuse to give them up. We refuse to surrender them to terrorists and we refuse to surrender them to enemies of progress. We refuse to exchange out our girls for prisoners. It is unacceptable and under no circumstances should the girls be exchanged for Boko Haram prisoners. Rather, Shekau should be smoked out and the girls must be rescued”. she stressed.