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.
Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the motion ex parte, marked FHC/ABS/CS/1149/2024, on Monday, August 12, 2024.
Messrs Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, and thirteen other Nigerians filed the motion ex parte (dated August 12, 2024) seeking the enforcement of their fundamental rights against the organisations involved with the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests.
The applicants sued 19 respondents including 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 (1st to 8th respondents) among others.
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 is likely to be breached by the ongoing protest in Nigeria organised by the 1st to 19th respondents who are using the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
He then asked the court to restrain the 1st to 19th respondents from continuing with the ongoing protest in Nigeria pending the determination of his motion on notice.
However, the judge held that it was not good for the lawyer to rush his notice ex-parte especially without providing the required affidavit to support his requests for an interim injunction and substituted service.
Justice Lifu also 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.
The court subsequently adjourned the hearing on the motion on notice to August 29, 2024.
