Federal High Court Dismisses Application to Halt #EndBadGovernance Protest

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On Monday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed an application seeking an interim injunction to stop the #EndBadGovernance protests. The protests, which took place from August 1 to 10, were organized by various groups in response to the removal of fuel subsidies, poor governance, and rising hunger in Nigeria.

The application was filed by Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi, Adiza Abbo, and 13 other Nigerians. They sought to enforce their fundamental rights against the organizations leading the protests, which include Take It Back Movement, Concerned Nigerians, and several others.

The applicants also named Total Intervention, Refurbished Nigeria, Tomorrow Today, and other groups, along with individual respondents like Omoyele Sowore and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), as well as the attorney general of the federation and security agencies.

Justice Lifu ruled that the application lacked merit, noting that the protests had already concluded. He pointed out that there was no evidence suggesting that the protesters intended to resume. The judge also criticized the applicants' lawyer for failing to provide the necessary affidavit to support the request for an interim injunction.

The court adjourned the hearing on the motion on notice to August 29. Tsembelee Sorkaa, the applicants’ lawyer, had argued that continuing the protests would breach his clients' rights to life, personal liberty, and economic activities. He had sought a restraining order to prevent further demonstrations pending the court's decision on the motion.