A Lagos High Court has ordered that organizers of the proposed hunger protest in Lagos remain in confined locations all through the duration of their demonstration in the state.
It further mandated that the organizers and other residents of Lagos aiming to participate in the demonstration should converge and remain inside the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu area of the state.
The court ruling came barely two days to kick off of the protest on Thursday August 1st, 2024, a demonstration being organized by Nigerians against policies and programs of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
The court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Ogundare gave the restriction on Tuesday following a preemptive exparte application filed the state Attorney -General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, seeking to maintain and secure public safety and prevent irreparable loss of lives and property in the state during the period of the protests.
Listed in the application as co-defendants are Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (for Active Citizens Group); Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (for Take it Back Movement); Persons unknown and Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.
While moving his application before the court, Pedro argued that as the Chief Law Officer of the State and having been privy to notices by different interests who are for and against the nationwide protest, there is the need to protect the critical infrastructures of the state and prevent an irreparable loss of lives and property as witnessed during the EndSARS protest in 2020.
Pedro maintained that the Police in the State do not have sufficient manpower to provide security support for the protesters who planned to protest in all the local government councils and public highways and other areas of public access in the State.
He further argued that there is a need to prevent the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums who are prepared to breach law and order and cause destruction in different locations in the State in the pretext of public protest against alleged bad governance.
