The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday has dismissed a suite seeking an interim injunction to stop protesters in Nigeria from extending the Hunger protest tagged #EndBadGovernance.
The Presiding Judge, Peter Lifu, dismissed the Ex parte motion marked FHC/ABS/CS/1149/2024 and filed by Messrs Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, and 13 other Nigerians on the 12th of August 2024.
The applicants requested the enforcement of their fundamental human rights which they argued the protesters were infringing on, including the organisations involved with the protests.
The applicants sued 19 respondents including Take It Back Movement, Concerned Nigerians, Nigerians Against Hunger, Initiative for Change, Human Rights Co-advocacy Initiative, Nigerian Against Corruption Initiative, Citizens for Change Advocacy Initiative, and Timely Intervention (1st to 8th respondents).
The 9th to 19th respondents are Active Citizens Group, Students for Change, We Coalition, Total Intervention, Refurbished Nigeria, Tomorrow Today, Our Future In Our Hands Initiative, Youths Against Tyranny, Save Nigeria Movement, Omoyele Sowore, and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Other respondents mentioned are the Attorney General of the Federation and security agencies.
The applicants’ lawyer, Tsembelee Sorkaa, in the court proceedings stated that his clients’ rights to life, personal liberty, private and family life, property, and economic development would be affected if the #EndBadGovernance protest organised by the 1st to 19th respondents continued.
Sorkaa then counselled the court to restrain the 1st to 19th respondents from continuing with the protest pending the determination of his motion on notice as well as enforce the restraining order till the appeal is granted.
However, Judge Lifu said the #EndBadGovernance protest ended last week, and the prosecutors could not provide evidence that they would continue. Also, Barr Sorkaa could not rush his notice ex parte without providing the required affidavit to support the requests for an interim injunction and substituted service.
He dismissed the application for lacking merit and adjourned the hearing on the motion on notice to August 29.
Nigerians had taken to the street from the 1st of August for the scheduled hunger protest. All efforts by lawmakers and the president to stop the protest proved futile as no organisation claimed sponsorship for them. As much as the applicants have the right to freedom of personal liberty, the protesting masses also have a right to peaceful protest and assembly. Though there are rumours of a bigger protest in October.
