* Court restricts protesters to parks
Some civil society organisations in Lagos have vowed to storm the streets of Lagos on Thursday to commence the protest against the economic hardship in the country.
This is as a Lagos High Court has given an order barring protesters in Lagos from converging at any other location in the state except at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the CSOs at a press conference at Abule Egba in Lagos, the National Coordinator of ERC, Hassan Taiwo, stated that the protest would be a peaceful one, warning that no one should come to foment violent acts.
Hassan said, “The peaceful protest will be held in Lagos like other parts of the country starting from August 1 to 15, 2024 and the take-off point will be at Ikeja under Bridge, Lagos State, at 7 am.”
He stated the demands for the protest which include the reversal of the fuel price to what it was before May 29, 2023.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu, during his swearing-in on May 29, 2023, announced that the fuel subsidy was gone. The declaration opened doors for the hike in petrol pump prices across the country and attendant hikes in prices of goods and commodities.
The CSOs also demanded the reversal of the electricity tariff to the initial cost prior to May 29, 2023.
READ ALSO: Presidency: Nigerians have right to peaceful protest
Other demands are: “An end to hardship and hunger, recall all victimised activists, free all #EndSARS detainees, end to the school fee hike, provide study grants, not loans, placement of all political office holders on minimum wage, and reversal of all anti-poor and neo-liberal capitalist policies.”
“We are demanding the fixing of all public refineries and building new ones under democratic control and management, reversal of all privatisation of public enterprises and placing them under democratic control and management. We are demanding an end to insecurity, police brutality, and kidnapping, we are saying no to illegal demolition/forced eviction, we are demanding the creation of decent jobs and payment of unemployment benefits to those unemployed, we are demanding the prosecution of all corrupt politicians and return all stolen wealth,” the CSOs said.
They called for an end to the security vote and demanded free quality health care for all Nigerians.
They also called for an end to attacks on press freedom, and the release of all political detainees “including journalists and bloggers.”
They said political parties in favour of the interest of Nigerian citizens should be established.
Other parties and CSOs that backed the demands include the Yoruba Revolutionary Movement, Mafoluku Community, Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement (ACIS-M), Youth Rights Campaign, People’s Redemption Party Vanguard, and the Movement for African Emancipation.
In the same vein, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, one of the key organisers of the August protest, Adekunle Taofeek, said, “We are not coming out to loot or destroy properties but to demonstrate peacefully to seek for good governance.”
In a statement, he said the protest aimed to put an end to hardship “eating us up.”
“We will also work with the police and be on red alert to hand over any suspected hoodlums in our midst to the police for questioning and trial,” he said, urging the police to cooperate with the protesters “so that what happened during the #EndSARS protest wouldn’t repeat itself.”
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, held a virtual meeting on Tuesday with key members of the Take It Back Movement, including prominent lawyers, Femi Falana (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN).
According to a statement released by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the meeting addressed the group’s planned nationwide protest and aimed to ensure citizens’ safety while upholding their constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Court restricts protesters to Freedom, Peace parks in Lagos
The Lagos High Court has barred protesters in Lagos from converging at any other location in the State except at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park, Ketu.
Justice Emmanuel Ogundare issued the restriction following a preemptive ex-parte application filed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN).
He said the application was to maintain and secure public safety and prevent irreparable loss of lives and property in the State.
The defendants/respondents are Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (for Active Citizens Group); Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (for Take it Back Movement); Persons unknown and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.
Moving the application, Pedro argued that as the Chief Law Officer of Lagos, and being privy to notices by different interests who are for and against the nationwide protest, there is a need to protect the critical infrastructure and prevent a recurrence of the violent and destructive #EndSARS protest in 2020.
According to Pedro, the police do not have sufficient manpower to provide security support for the protesters in all the local government councils, highways and other public areas, hence the need to restrict them to particular locations.
He argued that there was a need to prevent the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums poised to wreak havoc in the guise of protesting against alleged bad governance.
“In recognition of the citizens’ fundamental right to stage a public protest against government policies and actions but prevent unlawful destruction of lives and properties in the process, the Lagos State Government has designated two public spaces and locations in the state where citizens can meet and converge to protest or express their displeasure against government.
“The locations are Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos State and Peace Park, Ketu, Lagos State.
“Public protest in all the local government councils and public highways as well as other areas of public access in the state for 10 days is a deliberate plan to shut down the state and if this is allowed it will amount to economic sabotage.
“An order of the court is required in the circumstances so as to protect the fundamental rights of first to fifth defendants/respondents to protest and other residents opposed to the protest to go about their lawful without harassment, disturbance and destruction of public buildings/properties.”
Justice Ogundare granted: “An order of pre-emptive remedy by way of interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the first to fifth defendants/respondents whether by themselves, their agents, privies, servants or any other person(s) acting through them from converging and carrying out their proposed peaceful public protest, rallies, procession and meetings in Lagos State from the 1st-10th August 2024 except in the approved designated location for peaceful public protest, rallies and meetings, to wit: Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ikorodu Road, Ojota, Lagos State and Peace Park Ketu Lagos from 8 .00 am to 6pm pending compliance with the pre-action protocol by the claimant.
“An order of pre-emptive remedy by way of interim preservative order is hereby granted directing the sixth defendant (CP) to protect the fundamental rights of the first to fifth defendants/respondents to freedom of association, peaceful public protest, procession and tallies in the approved designated location for peaceful public protest, rallies and meetings in Lagos State, to wit: Gani Fawehinm Freedom Park, Ikorodu Road Ojota, Lagos and Peace Park, Ketu Lagos from 8am to 6pm on August 1-10, 2024 pending compliance with the pre-action protocol by the Claimant.”
The court also ordered the police to provide security support and traffic management support to the protest organisers at the designated locations.
