Police stop #BringBackOurGirls protesters march to Presidential Villa

Heavily armed policemen on Tuesday frustrated moves by the BringBackOurGirls group to march to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to “engage”
with President Goodluck Jonathan, on the efforts of the security agencies to rescue the 219 Chibok schoolgirls, who have been in Boko Haram captivity since April 14.

The protesters were stopped from accessing the Villa gate and their activism was restricted to Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, where they were addressed by an all-female government delegation led by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina.

Others in the delegation included the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Lawrencia Laraba-Mallam; Minister of Land and Housing, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, and Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe.

Motorists and pedestrians, who wanted to use the Gowon Crescent access road to the Villa, were turned back by stern-looking security personnel, who barricaded the road with their vehicles.

Maina, while addressing the group, said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ensure the safe release of the schoolgirls.

She said, “We are here to meet you because Mr. President is very busy today and he cannot come out. Government is trying all it could to make sure that these girls are brought back. They are our daughters. We are all mothers; as much as it hurts you, it hurts us even the fathers. You know as well as we do some of you are very much aware of the efforts that the government has been making to make sure that these girls, our daughters, are brought back alive.”

The BBOG Coordinator and former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwezili, accused the ministers of colluding with the Police to prevent the protesters from meeting with Jonathan.

She said, “You have joined the Police who have prevented us from meeting our President and Commander- in- Chief; the Commissioner of Police did indicate we should wait and then we will be able to proceed to have the meeting.

“We had written the President as part of our global call to action concerning the rescue of the Chibok girls that we would be visiting him exactly on the day that marks six months of the Chibok girls abduction.”

The group handed over a petition titled,”Questions for Mr. President” to the ministers for delivery to the FG.