FHC, Abuja Dismisses Suit Seeking To Halt #EndBadGovernance Protests

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed an application aimed at stopping protesters from continuing the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.

The presiding judge, Peter Lifu, ruled on Monday against the ex parte motion filed by Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, and 13 other Nigerians. The applicants had sought an interim injunction to restrain the protests, claiming that their fundamental rights, including the right to life, personal liberty, private and family life, and economic activities, were at risk due to the ongoing demonstrations.

The suit targeted several organizations, including the 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, among others. Individuals such as activist Omoyele Sowore and political entities like the Social Democratic Party (SDP) were also named as respondents.

In the application dated August 12, the applicants, represented by lawyer Tsembelee Sorkaa, argued that the protests posed a threat to their safety and daily lives. Sorkaa urged the court to issue a restraining order against the protesters pending the resolution of the case.

However, in his ruling, Justice Lifu noted that the #EndBadGovernance protests had already ended the previous week and that there was no evidence to suggest that the protesters would reconvene. He criticized the applicants’ lawyer for rushing the ex parte notice without providing the necessary affidavit to support the requests for an interim injunction and substituted service.

The court dismissed the application for lack of merit and adjourned the hearing on the motion on notice to August 29.

From August 1 to 10, Nigerians staged protests across various parts of the country, decrying what they called bad governance and rising hunger. In some areas, courts had granted interim injunctions restricting the protests to specific locations.