Chibok Girls: Court To Begin Hearing Against Mbu

The federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Thursday, June 12 for the hearing in the case involving the BringBackOurGirls Campaign Group against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commissioner of police, Joseph Mbu. LEADERSHIP reports: The group had on Tuesday last week dragged Mbu before the court, alleging a violation of their rights by the ban on protests in the FCT. Mbu had said on Monday last week that the trend the protests for the release of the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram was taking made the ban necessary. One of the leaders of the group and former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, stated that the group’s appearance in court on June 12 would be symbolic and would set an example that nobody should try to trample on the rights of another. She added that the group came into being when it was certain that there was no concrete action being taken to rescue the abducted girls, adding that after 56 days, the group was demanding results from the rescue operation implemented by the government. Also speaking on the court case, former House of Representatives member, Dino Melaye, stated that unlike speculation making the rounds that the court case would distract the group from its main goal, the case was rather a declaration that the police had no right to stop peaceful protests. “It is a declaration that will be handed down to generations yet unborn. The case is not a distraction and if we abandoned it, we are endangering our meeting here,” he said. The sit out was the 41st day of the group’s campaigning for the safe return of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok in Borno State.