Officers of the Nigerian police force reportedly attacked the members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement at the Unity Fountain in Abuja on Monday.
The BBOG members had convened at the fountain where they have been observing a daily sit out in demand for the release of the schoolgirls still in Boko Haram custody, when the incident happened.
Sadiq Bello, commissioner of police in the federal capital territory (FCT), had announced that protests and rallies had been banned at the fountain.
Following the ban, some police officers were stationed at the arena to prevent the sit-outs.
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On Monday, in the course of their sit-out, some policemen had tried to disperse them and in the process, teargassed them.
They were also said to have fired canisters at the activists.
TheCable is yet to confirm if people sustained injuries in the incident.
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Anjuguri Manzah, spokesman of the FCT police command, did not respond to inquiries on the incident when this report was filed.
Some of the BBOG members took to Twitter to narrate their “ordeal” in the hands of the police officers.
Four years ago today 23/04/14 the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was created. Today 23/04/18 @PoliceNG attacked members of #BringBackOurGirls to shut us up
We would not stop Not Until Our Girls Are Back and Alive #NotWithoutOurDaughters #BringBackOurGirls pic.twitter.com/XuNuQBm14H— Aisha Yesufu (@AishaYesufu) April 23, 2018
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On the 4th year anniversary of the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls @PoliceNG attacked @BBOG_Nigeria members and tear gassed them. We would not stop demanding #BringBackOurGirls NOW and ALIVE pic.twitter.com/aOdIdgOU3U
— Aisha Yesufu (@AishaYesufu) April 23, 2018
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President M Buhari & Prof Osibanjo should be ashamed of themselves. Citizens are killed all across Nigeria without any help from the security agencies yet they have tons of idle Police men & women at the Unity Fountain waiting all day to harass harmless protesters.
We stand on!! https://t.co/RGrrLC6PRc— Ms Baryat #EndSARs #EndPoliceBrutality #ReformNige (@MKabrik) April 23, 2018
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SHAME ON YOU President M Buhari & Prof Osibanjo.U both will not truncate our hard fought democracy.This is unacceptable & we will never be intimidated into silence. We have been protesting since April 2014&will not stop until all our girls are accounted for.#BBOGNOW#WhereIsLeah pic.twitter.com/qccA6xgBkB
Advertisement— Ms Baryat #EndSARs #EndPoliceBrutality #ReformNige (@MKabrik) April 23, 2018
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We cannot be called a democratic nation when the Nigeria Police @PoliceNG by order of @MBuhari are refusing us the right to free speech, assembly and association.
This is not democracy, this is militocracy. We will never give in. #BringBackOurGirls
— Jeff Okoroafor (@JeffOkoroafor) April 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/BBOG_Nigeria/status/988460695586033665
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