On Sunday, about 3000 IDPs in Maiduguri stormed the streets protesting their poor living conditions in the IDP Camps and the inability of Borno state government to return them to their community after the celebrated liberation of Bama from Boko Haram sect in 2015.

The protest, which was peaceful, was cut short as they were dispersed by the police. However, it doesn’t end without the unnecessary drama associated with Nigeria police – They arrested ten of the protesting IDPs.

They were later charged to court on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and disturbance of the peace. What made the police arrest the protesters is still shrouded in secrecy as there was no report of an altercation with police officers while the protest lasted. Also, why the prosecuting counsel filed a case of criminal conspiracy against the IDPs is another angle to the protest.

According to Wikipedia, criminal conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. In this situation, there was no conspiracy rather was there a crime. It became more astonishing as the leaders of the IDPs went to the police station to bail the ten arrested IDPs but were also detained making it twelve detainees.

This is happening not too long after Emmanuel Atswen, a reporter of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) was arrested by the police for reporting the protest by IDPs at Makurdi IDP camp. The IDPs had protested against alleged diversion of relief materials by SEMA officials. The journalist, while going about his duties, covered the protest and was later arrested for defamation of character and falsehood.

The government and the Police oblivious of the fact that the IDPs has a right to assemble and, the journalist has the right to carry out his job without fear or favour shows it is afraid of the truth and all in a bid to suppress it, they have made up their mind to gag the voice of critics.

Editor