Following declaring by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, that the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) group was a security threat and the hostile treatment levelled upon it by the Nigerian Police during it’s march to the Villa, the group has demanded an apology from the IGP.
Briefing the press yesterday during the group’s Monthly Monitoring Report, one of its members, Veronica Bakam stated that the IGP’s statement was a deliberate attempt to pitch the group against fellow Nigerians without any evidence and also demanded official retraction to all the statements levelling allegations and accusations against the group.
“We want the IGP immediately tenders and widely publishes his unreserved apology to our #BringBackOurGirls movement for violation of our individual and collective rights and freedoms, causing inconvenience to us, orchestrating a hate campaign and disseminating false accusation against us with the intention of tarnishing the reputation of our movement,” she said.
She also demanded the IGP makes a public pledge and commitment to never again infringe the Nigerian constitution by using the Nigerian Police as a tool of oppression against the group and other citizens and civic organisations.
“The IGP should also forthwith tenders unreserved apology to the parents of our Chibok girls and the Chibok community who were part of our procession; for using officers of the Nigeria Police to disorganize our public event on Tuesday 6 September, 2016 and in so doing, causing these already distraught citizens even more distress.
“He should also immediately tenders apology to the Nigerian and the global public for misleading them in the aforementioned public announcements and pronouncements, causing unnecessary and unwarranted inconvenience to motorists on Shehu Shagari Way on Tuesday 6 September, and indeed for portraying the Nigeria Police Force in extremely bad light by their words and actions,” she said.