#ResumeOrResign: Police attacked anti-Buhari protesters, Charlie Boy, Others injured

-Police has disclosed why demonstrators protesting for President Muhammadu’s Buhari return or resignation were attacked on Tuesday in Abuja.

The police on Tuesday attacked protesters calling on the resumption or resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari who has been on a medical vacation in London for over 90 days.

It was gathered that Charlie Boy, an entertainer, and Uyi Amadin, a correspondent with Silverbird Television and his cameraman, sustained injuries during the attack.

Recall that the protest began on Monday morning at Unity Fountain in Abuja, while the Tuesday’s exercise marked the second day of the protest.

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The police, however gave reasons why officers attacked the demonstrators at the rally protesting President Muhammadu Buhari’s indefinite medical vacation in London.

The demonstrators are calling on the president to either return to the country or resign.
Premium Times report that, Anjuguri Manzah, spokesperson for the FCT Command, said

officers moved to disperse “some miscreants, hoodlums and other criminal elements that have infiltrated the protest.”

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Mr. Manzah accused the protesters of blocking major roads adjoining the area, thereby preventing citizens from free passage.
It was learnt that those who witnessed the attack contradicted the police’s account.
Mr. Amadin, who said he arrived early to cover the event, said the police moved against the protesters, who were not more than 10.

The reporter told Premiun Times that the officers informed the protesters that they had “orders from above” to crack down on the protesters when they return to Unity Fountain today.

“They even unleashed fighter dogs against the protesters, including Charlie Boy,” he said.
“When they started beating me despite identifying myself as a journalist, they saw my cameraman filming the whole scene from afar and they swooped on him too and severely injured him.

“They seized our camera and did what they wanted with it,” the reporter added.
He said the protesters were clearly not violent.

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Premium Times report that, force spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, when sought on police’s explanation on the attack on Mr. Amadin, said they were not aware that “journalist was caught in the confrontation”, but the reporter should go and report the assault at the police station.

On Monday, the protesters marched under the supervision of the police, which was confirmed by Mr. Manzah in his latest statement.

Deji Adeyanju, convener of Concerned Nigerians which was amongst the coalition of civic groups that put together the exercise, said the Buhari administration was “clearly uncomfortable with the success of the protest on Monday.”

“One thing is: The government cannot deal with us so ruthlessly for the past two years and still tell us that we cannot wail,” he added.

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“This is just the beginning because we will not allow a sick old man to continue to hold the collective destiny of 180 million people to ransom,” he said.

The presidency defended the rights of the protesters to assemble and vent their grievances as emblematic of a democratic system, but faulted demands for Mr. Buhari’s resignation.

“The President has complied 100 per cent with the constitution by handing over power to the Vice-President before proceeding on his vacation,” Mr. Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said. “He has not breached any law or the constitution by staying away from office to take care of his health.”