High court restricts Lagos protests to two designated venues

 Lagos High Court in Igbosere has extended its previous order, limiting protesters in Lagos to Freedom and Peace Park in the Ojoto and Ketu areas only, on August 6, 2024.

Justice S.I. Sonaike issued the order after Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, requested an extension. 

This came after meeting the pre-action rules set by another vacation judge, Justice Emmanuel Ogundare, last week.

On Tuesday, Pedro, represented by Director of Civil Litigations Mr. Hameed Oyenuga, informed the court that the earlier order had been served on all respondents.

This fulfilled the pre-action protocols for preventive reliefs sought by the AG against the protesters’ representatives.

He argued that, although the respondents had not yet replied to the application, extending the restriction order to two venues was necessary.

This extension aimed to maintain relative peace amid the ongoing nationwide protests.

In her ruling, Justice Sonaike confirmed satisfaction with the AG’s compliance with Justice Ogundare’s orders.

She extended the protest restrictions to Freedom and Peace Parks in the Ojota and Ketu areas until full adherence to the pre-action orders.

Last week, Justice Ogundare ruled on a urgent provisional application application filed by Mr. Pedro to ensure public safety and prevent irreparable loss of lives and property during the protests.

Consequently, he imposed restrictions on the protesters.

The application lists Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba from the Active Citizens Group as co-defendants.

It also includes Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto from the “Take It Back Movement”.

Additionally, the list of co-defendants contains unnamed  individuals and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.

In presenting his application to the court, Mr. Pedro argued that, as the Chief Law Officer of the State, he has a responsibility to protect critical state infrastructure.

Overview of the protest in Lagos

On August 1, hundreds in Lagos and other parts of the country protested with placards demanding a reversal of harmful electricity tariff increases and other policies.

The protest titled “10 Days of Rage” addressed fuel subsidy removal, naira floatation, and rising living costs.

Despite a Lagos High Court order restricting protests to specific locations in Lagos, demonstrators defied these limitations.

Protesters marched along roads near designated parks, rejecting the locations as restrictive and symbolic of an attempt to “cage” the movement.

In response to the protests, the Lagos State Government deployed the police force to ensure security at the designated sites.

Accordingly, this action followed discussions between the Inspector General of Police, human rights lawyers, and protest organizers.

However, concerns were raised about threats from suspected government-sponsored thugs aimed at intimidating participants.

The protests have continued with peaceful gatherings, highlighting the populace’s frustration with the economic situation.

They call for immediate government intervention to alleviate the economic strain on Nigerians.

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