#BringBackOurGirls Movement Locked Out of Maitama Park

By Danlami Nmodu
Though the #Bring BackOurGirls Movement in Abuja has been avoiding violence, those determined to frustrate the group have remained unrelenting.Reports said the members of the movement were locked out of their new protest venue at Maitama Park on Saturday.They however sat outside the park and continued with their daily campaign to ‘#BringBackOurGirls,Now and Alive.;
Oby Ezekwesili , a former minister of education and one of the leaders of movement said on her twitter handle@obyezeks : “Day47 They sent THUGS to attack us@Unity Fountain.We refused to be gutter & so moved to Maitama park.2day,they locked us out.Yet WE STAND”
In response to Ezekwesili’s tweet Mr Pat Utomi @UtomiPat said “@obyezeks must feel like de ja vu.So similar to Abacha era tactic.How we repeat bad history”
In his response to the two tweets above tweets Dr Jibrin Ibrahim @jibrinIbrahim17 said”@UtomiPat@obyezeks Yes indeed,the Jonathan Admin is copying Abacha to the letter.Its so sad to see democracy truncated #BringBackOurGirls”
Actually it was on Friday that the #BringBackOurGirls movement once again relocated from the Unity Fountain to Maitama Park to continue with its protest aimed at piling pressure on the government to bring back the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted from their School by Boko Haram in Borno State.
On Wednesday members of a rival protest group attacked the Hadiza Bala Usman and Oby Ezekwesili led #BringBackOurGirls team at the Unity Fountain Abuja.But the group did not respond violently. Instructively,eye witnesses said policemen watched as the group was attacked on Wednesday.
Hadiza Bala Usman reportedly said the movement has written a petition against the police which will also be submitted to the National Assembly on Monday.
On Thursday,Newsdiaryonline.com reported that operatives of the State Security Service ,SSS moved to stop the BringBackOurGirls campaign same day in Kano.The group however continued its campaign after its encounter with the SSS an eyewitness said.
Why any agency of the government will contemplate stopping the #BringBackOurGirls movement which has assumed a global life remains puzzling.Any repression of the movement will create negative image problem for the regime globally.
It was Labaran Maku, the minister of information who told the world the the regime believes those in the #BringBackOurGirls Movement belong to Nigeria’s opposition All Progressives Congress,APC.Does that include Michelle Obama,America’s First Lady and all the global activists that have relentlessly campaigned to #BringBackOurGirls.It was this global campaign that generated enough outrage that resulted in United States,United Kingdom,France,China among others making military and other diplomatic moves hopefully to ensure the girls are back and alive.