Protesters invite CAN, Muslim leaders for talks in Abuja

Protesters invite CAN, Muslim leaders for talks in Abuja

Protesters seeking end to bad governance in Abuja have invited leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Islamic Movement of Nigeria for a “heart-to-heart” talk.

A leader of #Take It Back Movement, Sydney Usman, acknowledged the spiritual leaders for their various interventions.

He asked them to show up at the MKO Stadium in Abuja on Monday, August 5  to discuss with the protesters.

Usman described the leaders as their fathers, while decrying attacks on the protesters by the police.

Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) had earlier pleaded with the protesters to call off the ongoing nationwide protest and give the government a chance to redeem itself.

The group in a statement on Friday jointly signed by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar, and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, expressed deep concerns over the outcome of mass action.

Usman also said that they would remain at the stadium until the court order restricting them to the place was vacated latest on Monday.

Meanwhile, there was heavy presence of security agents, mainly armed soldiers at the Eagle Square and other major public areas in Abuja on Saturday, day three of the protest.

The National Assembly complex was condoned off by combat-ready military personnel.

Security agents disperse protesters from Abuja stadium

Meanwhile, security operatives on Saturday sent away a group of protesters that gathered in front of the MKO National Stadium.

An Abuja court on Wednesday restricted the demonstration to the stadium premises.

The protesters were repeatedly tear-gased by the police, forcing them to leave the arena amid confusion.

The protest which started on a peaceful note on Thursday had degenerated into a face-off between the protesters and security operatives, which reportedly led to the death of a policeman in Abuja.

The police had fired tear gas indiscriminately in an attempt to prevent the protesters from accessing the Eagle Square ground in the Three Arms Zone.

Around the Head of Service Complex, it was almost like a war zone with protesters throwing back the tear gas canisters at the police.