Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, who restricted protesters in the recent #EndBadGovernance demonstration to MKO Abiola Stadium, is from Obi Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, the same area as the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Chidi Odinkalu, a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, brought this to public attention. He tweeted, “I didn’t really want to be the person saying it, but the @fcthighcourt judge who gave the order to kettle #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters in the Moshood Abiola Stadium just happened to come from the same village as the Minister of the FCT, the plaintiff. Calculate the odds!” A check on the Federal High Court’s portal confirms Odinkalu’s claim.
https://twitter.com/ChidiOdinkalu/status/1822624082443067566/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1822624082443067566%7Ctwgr%5Ef73b8d9f2b2130a7f2f6d15491924d7c04a128b6%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdailytrust.com%2Frevealed-judge-who-restricted-abuja-protesters-to-a-stadium-is-wikes-kinsman%2F
Justice Oriji issued the order after considering an ex-parte application submitted by Wike, represented by Ogwu Onoja. Wike argued that the Federal Government was not opposed to the protest, but intelligence and security reports indicated that some protest leaders intended to use the occasion to cause chaos, damage public property, block roads, and disturb public peace.
The minister further reported that when he reached out to security agencies to ensure the protest didn’t escalate into criminality, they informed him that they were not sufficiently equipped to manage potential crises on short notice. As a precaution, it was decided to limit the protest to prevent any problems.
Wike also presented an exhibit from the “Take it Back Movement, FCT,” signed by Damilare Adenola. The exhibit allegedly threatened to invade the Presidential Villa and damage the outer wires of Aso Rock during the protest while demanding that the FCT provide lighting and toilet facilities during the protest.
Wike sought an interim injunction to prevent the protest leaders from gathering or parading on any roads, streets, offices, or public premises within the FCT from August 1-10, or any subsequent day, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. The respondents in the suit included Omoyele Sowore, Damilare Adenola, Adama Ukpabi, Tosin Harsogba, unknown persons, and the Inspector-General of Police, among others.
In his ruling, Justice Oriji acknowledged the protesters’ right to demonstrate but restricted them to the stadium due to the concerns raised by the FCT minister. The judge stated, “In light of the above, the court finds it appropriate and expedient to grant an order under the omnibus or general prayer to ensure that the rights of the protesters are upheld while preventing negative impacts on other citizens’ rights to movement and ensuring that properties and public facilities are not destroyed.”
The protest continued at the stadium for several days until the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police opened fire on protesters and journalists.
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