Ace musician and entertainer, Charles Oputa popularly known as Charlyboy has given reasons for his collapse during yesterday’s “Buhari must Return or Resign” protest in Abuja.
Speaking with DAILY POST, AreaFada as he is also called said the protest which was designed to be a seat-out turned violent when over 200 policemen attacked about 10 participants at the Millennium Park in Abuja.
Charlyboy claimed that despite getting security clearance, for the protest by a civil society group under the platform of “OurMumuDonDo,” the policemen stormed the venue and started “teargassing” and physically assaulting them.
The maverick entertainer alleged that policemen numbering over 200 invaded the venue of the sit-out protest brutalising them.
Expressing displeasure over the attack, Charlyboy said, “Our country is finished. We were only 10 people attacked by over 200 policemen. They were teargassing us.
“Today was actually meant to be a sit-out, we planned to gather in one place to discuss the problems we have and about the way forward but all of a sudden, we were attacked by policemen. They came with teargas, water cannon.
“Even the journalist from silver bird that was brutalized is still in the hospital, they damaged his camera, all in an attempt to dispatch us. Everything got ugly when they started to throw teargas. After this we dispatched.
“We did get the police clearance and we told them it was going to be for one week. We went to all the security arms, they were all with us. I just wonder what happened today.
“I use to feel very comfortable with the Nigerian police until today even if other people feel otherwise.
“We have a right to protest as long as it is peaceful, if you are writing to the police, it is just to inform them and not to get their permission, you write so they can give you cover. It is our right to gather, it is also our right to ask questions.
“We were only 10 people and yesterday we were like 200, yet they did not attack us, so I’m wondering what actually went wrong today.
“When we confronted them, the only thing they told us was that the protest was being viewed from all over the world, but the world knows that Nigeria has a problem.”
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