AN Abuja High Court has declared as illegal, the
directive by the police banning the rallies being
held by the
#BringBackOurGirls campaigners over the
abducted Chibok girls.
Former Police Commissioner in Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) Joseph Mbu, who is now an
Assistant
Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of
Zone 7, had issued the directive declaring the
rallies illegal.
Although former Inspector General of Police
(IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, distanced the
Nigeria Police from
Mbu’s directive and said the people have a right
to protest, the rights group sued Mbu and the
police.
In a judgment yesterday, Justice Sunday
Aladetoyinbo held that the right to freedom of
association and
assembly was the bedrock of every democratic
government and that the police has no right to
ban Nigerians
from engaging in peaceful protest.
The judge praised the former IGP for overruling
Mbu on the ban and abiding by the law.
The judge cautioned the group to be security
conscious in staging peaceful gathering.
He refused the plaintiff’s application for award of
N200 million as damages, following the ban.
Reacting to the judgment, Mbu’s lawyer, Simon
Lough, said there was no victor, no vanquish in
the judgment
and that the defendant would look at the
judgment and might appeal the court’s decision
on jurisdiction.
www.thenationonlineng.net/new/ chibok-girls-court-declares-ban-on-rallies-illegal/