By Mallam Naseer Kura, Nigeria Intervention Movement NIM, Head, Publicity Bureau, Abuja.
OCCUPY IMO PROTEST: NIM WARNS IMO STATE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE NOT TO UNDERMINE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE
The attention of the Nigerian Intervention Movement (NIM) has been drawn to a certain threat attributed to the Imo State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Okezie to clamp down on the Occupy Imo protest slated for today, Monday 18th of December 2017, after the Department of State Security, DSS has already issued clearance for same peaceful mass protest, which laid to rest all fears of a possible hijack of the Protest
This unilateral move of the CP to violate constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedom of association, assembly and speech is tantamount to impunity and abuse of office especially by an officer paid to uphold the law; against the same citizens from whose tax payers money he derives his daily sustenance
We therefore strongly condemn this uncivil intent of the CP and warn him to desist from any planned crackdown on the people of imo forthwith by allowing the peace loving people of Imo to exercise their rights as fully guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution
We wish to caution that the era of employing state authority illegally to stifle legitimate rights and aspirations of the civil populace derived from no other source than that from where the same authority flows for unconscionable personal, egoistic and self serving reasons is over in Nigeria
While lending its full weight to the Occupy IMO protest, the NIM shall mobilize all its allies and affiliates to rescue Imo state and indeed Nigeria in general from usurpers and supplanter of powers, whose aim is to bludgeon Nigerians into submission and silence, while they ravage and desecrate our polity
We therefore wish to reiterate that peaceful protests are inalienable fundamentals of a civil democratic culture and any attempt to suppress such peaceful protests is not only autocratic, but antithetical to a viable democracy
We warn Mr Okezie to steer clear of the protest TODAY and relate with the DSS with regard to the details of the planned peaceful protest and to save the Nigerian presidency of heightening crisis of inter agencies disharmony and confusion
We advise the CP not to compromise his office and the constitutional tenets he swore to uphold by allowing himself to be used to perpetrate actions deemed as reprehensible in the eye of the law. A word is enough for the wise
Long Live Nigeria!
Victoria Acerta!