Rivers shooting: Gbajabiamila tackles police over rally permit

Minority leader of the House of Representatives Rep Femi Gbajabiamila (APC, Lagos) yesterday faulted the claim by the Rivers state police over the prior notification of a rally to the police, saying no group should seek police permit before staging a rally.

This is coming after the controversial shooting of Senator Magnus Abe with a rubber bullet by the police during a rally by the Save Rivers Movement in Port Harcourt last Sunday.

Gbajabiamila in a statement said there is a subsisting Supreme Court judgment delivered in the last couple of years concerning matter of same substance.

“The Supreme Court years ago ruled that Police permit is NOT required for a rally. So all this talk from the Rivers state commissioner of police about permit is balderdash,” he said.

The minority leader explained that the use of tear gas by the police is akin to the use of a chemical weapon, which informed the use of the word gas.

As such, the lawmaker condemned the police for the use of what he termed chemical weapon on citizens.

“The use of chemical weapons against one’s own citizens (or anyone for that matter) is unacceptable and is why the world is up in arms against Syria.”