The Nigeria Police Force has defended its enforcement of a court order restricting the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest from accessing key government areas in Abuja. NPF recently insisted that its officers acted within the law and only used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said that the decision followed a valid order from the Federal High Court obtained on Friday.
According to him, the order barred protesters from converging on or marching towards strategic areas, including the Aso Villa, Supreme Court, National Assembly, Eagles Square, and Shehu Shagari Way, among others, so the policemen were right to act accordingly.
He stated that the Force only stepped in after receiving intelligence indicating possible unrest if the protest reached those restricted zones.
“We got a court order specifically about this protest and restricting protests from certain areas like the Aso Villa, the Supreme Court, the National Assembly, Eagle Square, the Force Headquarters and Shagari Way. As a law enforcement agency, we are duty-bound to enforce that order,” he said.
Hundeyin further noted that officers only used “minimal force” to disperse protesters who allegedly attempted to move towards the banned areas despite repeated warnings.
He concluded by denying reports that live ammunition was used during the protest, stressing that such claims are “false and misleading.”
“We have records of past protests where things were destroyed. So, it is our duty to protect life and property. Whatever lawful steps we need to take to achieve that mandate are what we’ll take.
We gave enough warning for these people to step back, but they were adamant. We used tear gas in line with our standard operating procedures. That was the least we could do. Nobody was harmed or injured.
I can state categorically that no live ammunition was fired today. It’s easy for people who are not familiar with the sounds to mistake the firing of tear gas for live bullets, but I can say with authority that only tear gas was used.
The court order is not classified. It’s available, and it clearly stated that the other party should appear this morning at 9 a.m. in court, just for the spirit of fair play.
No matter where you protest, your voices will be heard. This is the age of the internet — people can stream and make their voices known. But we must learn from the past and prevent chaos before it happens,” he added.
