By Our Reporter
ABUJA – Motorists heading to the Abuja city centre from the Karu-Nyanya axis of the Abuja-Keffi Expressway had a tough time on Saturday as soldiers stationed at the Kugbo military checkpoint carried out a ‘stop and search’ operation, causing gridlock.
A combined team of policemen, soldiers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and others were also seen carrying out a show of force around Karu and Nyanya in a convoy of no less than 20 patrol vans, further compounding the traffic situation.
Following earlier threats by security agencies not to allow protests in the FCT, security men in Abuja dispersed youths taking part in the protest in some parts of the FCT using tear gas, with scores sustaining injuries.
Early on Saturday, the security agents cordoned off Unity Fountain, the site given to protesters as their convergence point, forcing them to move to other venues.
While some were sighted at the Gudu Park, others gathered around the popular AYA Roundabout holding placards and banners with various inscriptions such as “#BuhariMustGo” and “#RevolutionNow.”
At Gudu Park, the protesters demanded Buhari’s resignation, as some members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly called the Shiites, seized the opportunity to demand the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife from detention.
Both husband and wife have been in detention since December 2015 despite various court orders that had ordered their release on bail.
Just as the protests were gathering steam at the two venues, combined teams of security agencies, including men of the police, Army and NSCDC, arrived and used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who ran to safety, while some unlucky ones were arrested and their placards and banners confiscated.
As of the time of filing this report, it was not clear the number of people that were arrested.
However, the Convener, Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju, tweeted, “We have just been attacked by the police and SSS (State Security Service) as expected. #June12 protest”
The FCT Police Command defended the action in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer, Yusuf Mariam, saying policemen had to disperse the protesters to prevent members of the proscribed IMN and others from “inciting public disturbance.”
