The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dismissed an application seeking an order of interim injunction restraining Nigerian protesters under different platforms from continuing with the ongoing protests using the hashtags #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
Messrs Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, and thirteen other Nigerians had on August 12, 2024 filed the motion ex-parte seeking the enforcement of their fundamental rights against the organisations involved with the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
The applicants had filed the motion against organisations such as: 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 as 1st to 8th respondents.
Others sued were 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) as the 9th to 19th respondents.
The rest are the Attorney General of the Federation and security agencies.
The applicants’ lawyer, Tsembelee Sorkaa, stated in his process, that the right to life, personal liberty, private and family life, movement, property, and economic development of his clients were likely to be breached by the ongoing protest in Nigeria organised by the 1st to 19th respondents who are using the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
In his motion on notice, where he sought an injunction against the respondents, the lawyer argued that “the previous protests in Nigeria in 2020, hashtag #EndSARS, led to the deaths of innocent Nigerians and massive lootings and destructions of properties in Nigeria. This was widely reported in the media.”
Justice Lifu who ruled over the case said that the protest in question ended last week and there is no evidence presented before the court by the lawyer that the protesters would reconvene later.
“I have carefully considered the prayers in the instant motion (ex parte). In my view, the motion is not grantable.
“The prayers for substituted service are not grantable. The entire application lacks merit and is accordingly dismissed,” the judge ruled.
The court subsequently adjourned the hearing on the motion on notice to August 29, 2024.