NIGERIA: Protesters, including Nigeria's former Education Minister, express their "right to a peaceful gathering" as they call for the return of over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Record ID: 236712

  • Title: NIGERIA: Protesters, including Nigeria's former Education Minister, express their "right to a peaceful gathering" as they call for the return of over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.
  • Date: 11th May 2014
  • Summary: ABUJA, NIGERIA (MAY 11, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF POLICE PREVENTING PROTESTERS FROM ENTERING THE PARK POLICE SCUFFLING WITH PROTESTERS BY VEHICLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER NIGERIA EDUCATION MINISTER, OBY EZEKWESILI, SAYING: "As a citizen of this country, I have the right to a peaceful gathering, nobody is going to violate that right. I am not going anywhere. I have the right to free movement in my society. This is a democracy, even in military rule, I protested not to talk of democracy. I'm not going anywhere, gentleman." PROTESTERS ARGUING WITH POLICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) 'BRING BACK OUR GIRLS' PROTEST COORDINATOR, HADIZA BALA, SAYING: "Well we are here at our usual place where we convene to have our discussions, peaceful deliberations and we have been denied access, we have been asked to vacate and we refused to do that, we will not allow any body to abuse our fundamental human rights. Thank you." (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER NIGERIA EDUCATION MINISTER, OBY EZEKWESILI, SAYING: "We are not going anywhere, any one who wants to go, you can go, but as for Oby Ezekwesili, I am not going anywhere, I am not." PROTESTERS WALKING INTO PARK PAST POLICE VARIOUS OF OBY EZEKWESILI SITTING ON THE FLOOR VARIOUS OF POLICE STANDING BY ROAD VARIOUS OF PEOPLE STANDING AND CHANTING (English): "BRING BACK OUR GIRLS, NOW AND ALIVE." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SITTING AND LISTENING TO ADDRESS FROM LEADERS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING AND CHANTING (English): "BRING BACK OUR GIRLS, NOW AND ALIVE." GATHERING IN PARK
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Crime,Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVA1GF98ITNIF3OFBIM7J3YO9M8I
  • Story Text: Nigerian police attempted to stop protesters from entering a park in Abuja on Sunday (May 11) for a gathering intended to call for the return of over 200 kidnapped girls.
    The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has faced criticism for its slow response since Boko Haram militants stormed a secondary school in the village of Chibok, near the Cameroon border, on April 14, and kidnapped the girls, who were taking exams. Fifty have escaped, but more than 200 remain with the insurgents.
    On Sunday, as protesters argued with the police, Nigeria's former education minister, Oby Ezekwesili, expressed her disdain over what she termed a violation of her human rights.
    "As a citizen of this country, I have the right to a peaceful gathering, nobody is going to violate that right. I am not going anywhere. I have the right to free movement in my society. This is a democracy, even in military rule, I protested not to talk of democracy. I'm not going anywhere, gentleman," she said.
    Hadiza Bala, a co-ordinator of the 'Bring Back Our Girls' protest, explained that the protesters had been denied access to their usual gathering place.
    "We are here at our usual place where we convene to have our discussions, peaceful deliberations and we have been denied access, we have been asked to vacate and we refused to do that, we will not allow any body to abuse our fundamental human rights", Bala said.
    Ezekwesili asserted her right to remain and protest.
    "We are not going anywhere, any one who wants to go, you can go, but as for Oby Ezekwesili, I am not going anywhere, I am not," she said.
    Just over 30 protesters were involved in the confrontation with the police and in the end a few were allowed into the park, while those who had arrived in vehicles remained by the road side.
    Those protesters who had passed the police and entered the park chanted: "Bring back our girls, now and alive."
    Earlier this month, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau threatened to sell the girls "in the market", prompting a warning from the United Nations that this would make the perpetrators liable for war crimes.
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