A High Court in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory, presided over by Justice Sylvanus Oriji, has extended an order confining the #EndBadGovernance protest to the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
This decision follows an application by Dr. Ogwu James Onoja SAN, representing the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The court's extension aims to prevent potential disruptions to public peace, as highlighted by the FCT Minister's legal counsel.
During the proceedings, none of the 11 defendants were present or represented by legal counsel.
The FCT Minister's lawyer pointed to a statement from Damilare Adenola, which suggested that the protests might extend beyond the initially planned 10 days.
"In the absence of the defendants and given the uncertainty of their future actions, it is prudent to extend the order to prevent any potential disruption of peace within the FCT," argued the counsel.
Justice Oriji affirmed the request, stating that the original order issued on July 31, 2024, remains valid and in force.
The judge set August 22, 2024, for the hearing of the motion on notice.
The initial order was a response to an ex-parte application by the FCT Minister, seeking an interim injunction to restrain protest leaders from gathering or parading along roads, streets, offices, and public premises within the FCT from August 1 to August 10, or any other day thereafter, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The Minister emphasized that while the Federal Government is not opposed to the protest, intelligence and security reports indicated that some elements within the leadership of the protesters might use the protest to cause havoc, damage public facilities, block roadways, and disrupt public peace.
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