By Robert Wilson (NewsLeader Correspondent, in London)
The British protocol Police at Nigeria's Presidential Lodge 'Abuja House' in London, where President Muhammadu Buhari is currently residing on medical vacation, on Friday, ordered the leader of the anti-Buhari protest, Reno Omokri, to immediately stay clear of the London protest ground, in his own interest.
NIGERIAN NEWS-LEADER Correspondent in London who was at the venue of the protest on Friday afternoon reported that the protesters who were quite a few in their numbers, stormed the Abuja House Presidential Lodge located at 2 Campden Hill, Kensington, London, demanding the immediate return of President Buhari back to Nigeria.
Our Correspondent reports that at about 12: 46pm Nigerian time, the protesters in their handful started gathering at the Campden Hill, Kensington Street in London, but were confronted by the Uk police officers who were already on sentry at the venue, ahead of the planned protest.
Former Presidential Aide and a hardline Anti-Buhari social media player, Reno Omokri, led the group of some Nigerians and allegedly a few of their foreign friends and supporters, to storm the Abuja House, to protest the presence of Buhari in London. They were seen chanting "Buhari go home".
Though the protest was said to be devoid of the usual crowd that has attended similar protests in the past, the UK police officers on guard around the Abuja House official residence of the President did not harass or molest the protesters, despite their alleged attempts to block the main entry gate of the 'Abuja House' presidential lodge.
According to our Correspondent, one of the police officers had approached the ring leader of the protest, Reno Omokri, some moments after the protest began and prevailed on him to call off the protest and relocate his men out of the area in the interest of peace, Our Correspondent reports that the reason for the directive was as a result of the noise being generated by the protesters which the police believed to be disturbing the tranquility of the area.
"Sir, you must leave here now in the interest of peace. Your group has made your point. It is your right, but we are here for the peace of everyone", the leader of the guard police ordered Omokri.
Reno, according to our reporter, quickly accepted to retreat from the protest, following the police directive while the other protesters continued for a little while
Inside the London Abuja House, however, President Buhari and his aides residing with him appeared unperturbed or rather oblivious of the protest event happening outside his official residence. According to our Correspondent, no aide of the President responded to the demands of the protesters who were seen as too insignificant to make an impact with the protest which reportedly did not last long.
Reno Omokri however explained at the venue of the protest that the purpose of the civil action was to register their displeasure with the style of governance of the President Buhari administration in Nigeria.
In a series of tweets on Friday on social media, Omokri posted on his Twitter handle that their mission was to chase the president back home.
Some of Omokri's tweets as of Friday afternoon reads thus: “The Police came but the #HarassBuhariOutOfLondon went on. A frightened @MBuhari refused to come".
Shortly on his arrival in London earlier, Reno tweeted: “The eagle has landed to harass the ego out of London. It is happening people.
“#HarassBuhariOutOfLondon is on. God willing, I will see you at Abuja House, 2 Campden Hill, Kensington, London W8 7AD by 12 noon.
“We will observe #COVID-19 protocols even as we chase @MBuhari back home”.
Reno Omokri had invaded the social media on Wednesday and Thursday, announcing his pre-planned trip to London to push for a forced return of President Buhari back to Nigeria on the alleged ground that he should remain in Nigeria to attend to the responsibilities of his office.
President Buhari, shortly after a security briefing of his military Service Chiefs and top security officials, departed Nigeria on Tuesday evening for the UK to see his British doctors on the routine health checks.
He is due to return to Nigeria by the second week of April. NNL.