Court extends order restricting Lagos protesters to Freedom, Peace Parks

The high court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos, has extended the order restricting #EndBadGovernance protesters in the state to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu.

Sherifat Sonaike, the presiding judge, on Tuesday, extended an order of the court issued on July 30.

BACKGROUND

Last Tuesday, the Lagos state government secured an order restricting protesters to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu.

Lawal Pedro, the state’s attorney-general and commissioner for justice, approached the court with an ex parte application 48 hours before the commencement of the #EndBadGovernance protest, which kicked off on August 1.

Listed in the application as defendants were Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (for Active Citizens Group), Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (for Take It Back Movement), Persons unknown, and Lagos state commissioner of police.

Emmanuel Ogundare, the presiding judge, ruled that the protest from August 1 to 10 should only be held within the approved locations and between “8am to 6pm, pending compliance with the pre-action protocol by the claimant”.

Ogundare also ordered the police to “protect the fundamental rights of protesters within the approved designated locations and time for peaceful public protests, rallies, and meetings in Lagos state”.

TUESDAY’S COURT PROCEEDINGS

At the resumption of the hearing on Tuesday, Hameed Oyenuga, the director of litigation in Lagos, represented the commissioner for justice in court.

Oyenuga told the judge the earlier court order had been served on all the respondents in compliance with the pre-action protocols for preemptive reliefs sought by the state against the representatives of the protesters.

He added that the respondents in the suit have not responded to the application.

“There is the need to extend the earlier restriction order of the protest to two venues. This is to ensure that the state can continue to enjoy the relative peace being experienced despite the ongoing protests across the country,” Oyenuga said.

In her ruling, Sonaike said she was satisfied with the compliance of the order issued by Ogundare, the vacation judge.

She ordered that the restriction of the protest to Freedom and Peace parks in the Ojota and Ketu areas of the state be extended until full compliance with the pre-action orders.