A handful of protesters
supporting embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki, under the banner of
#SaveOurNASS, yesterday clashed with protesters from the #OccupyNASS
(who are aggrieved youths asking for the resignation of Saraki) outside
the National Assembly complex in Abuja, Sahara Reporters report.
The
#SaveOurNASS group, who were very few, stormed the protesting area with
banners of Mr. Saraki and of the Speaker of the House of National
Assembly Yakubu Dogara. Some other demonstrators carried placards with
inscriptions: ‘Presidency, Stop the Harassment,’ ‘Say No! To Executive
Impunity,’ ‘Presidency Stop Harassing Saraki,’ and ‘Saraki Must Stay.’
The
competing groups met one another outside the National Assembly main
gate, where the #OccupyNASS protesters had already staged a sit-in.
Their
arrival, which upset some protesters part of the #OccupyNASS, resulted
in a scuffle and led to #OccupyNASS members to tearing the Saraki and
Dogara banners into shreds.
It took
the intervention of the police to separate the two groups from
inflicting injuries on each other. #OccupyNASS maintained that they
would not allow the sponsored group to tarnish their public image.
#OccupyNigeria
continued their sit-in after subduing pro-Saraki protesters and vowed
to continue the protests until Saraki resigns from the Senate.
