The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has banned all forms of political, social and religious gatherings at all the nation’s airports, stressing that they are exclusive security zones.
The police authorities said that the ban was necessary to avert security breaches and protect critical infrastructure, travellers, aircrew, airport staff and personnel at the nation’s local and international airports.
Rising from a strategic security meeting at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, the Police High Command directed the Airport Command Commissioners of Police and Commissioners of Police in states hosting the airports to ensure that, in line with international best practices, firm security measures were taken to safeguard the airports and their critical infrastructure.
This, it said, was to prevent a situation where the airports would be turned into places of political assemblies, religious worship and other social receptions.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, on Wednesday stated that no assembly would be permitted within and around airport premises, including tarmacs, lounges and other sensitive security points.
“While the Force is not unaware of the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freedom of movement and assembly, it makes bold to state that the enjoyment of these rights must be situated within the bounds of the law and appropriate civil behaviour.
“The force therefore implores Nigerians to cooperate with the police in their effort at improving the maintenance of security at every nook and cranny of the airports,” it stated.
The police called on the elite to educate and enlighten their admirers and followers on the need to abide by the rules, noting that failure to comply with the rule would attract appropriate legal sanctions.
But the All Progressive Congress and aggrieved members of the outlawed New Peoples Democratic Party have decried what they described as a growing culture of impunity by the PDP-led Federal Government.
They expressed these views in separate statements in Abuja, on Wednesday.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja, Interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the party was disturbed about the growing level of intolerance of opposing views.
He said it was now clear from the action of government that those who hold contrary views risk being persecuted and harassed for no just cause.
According to him, the new directive issued by government to the Police to ban receptions at airports; was one of its knee jerk approaches to solving problems whether real or imagined.
Mohammed said, “We heard about the new directive this afternoon and our reaction is this, we hope that this rule or whatever it is will apply to everyone irrespective of party affiliation. The truth is, this is simply a knee jerk approach to solving real or imagined problems.”
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze said the New PDP had no problem with the ban as long as it applies to all parties.
He said “We have no problem with the ban, we will only have problems with it if it is applied selectively. Let it apply to all parties.”
Source – Punch
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