A Lagos High Court has restricted participants of the upcoming August 1 nationwide protest to two specific locations: Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in the Ketu area of the state.
This ruling, handed down on Tuesday by Justice Emmanuel Ogundare, follows an ex parte application filed by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN.
The application was made to ensure public safety and prevent potential loss of life and property during the protests. Justice Ogundare’s order confines the protests to these designated parks, preventing demonstrations from spreading to other parts of Lagos.
The application named Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (representing Active Citizens Group), Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (representing Take It Back Movement), persons unknown, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, as co-defendants.
Mr. Pedro argued that as the Chief Law Officer of the State, he was aware of various groups planning to participate in the protest, both for and against it. He emphasized the need to protect critical infrastructure and avoid a repeat of the significant loss of life and property witnessed during the EndSARS protest in 2020.
Pedro highlighted the limited manpower of the Lagos State police to provide adequate security for protests across all local government councils, public highways, and other public areas. He stressed the importance of preventing the protest from being hijacked by hoodlums who could disrupt law and order under the guise of protesting against alleged bad governance.
“In recognition of citizens’ fundamental right to stage a public protest against government policies and actions but prevent unlawful destruction of lives and properties, the Lagos State Government has designated two public spaces for such activities: Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in Ketu,” Pedro explained. He warned that allowing protests in all local government councils and public highways for ten days would amount to economic sabotage.
Justice Ogundare granted all the reliefs sought in the application. He issued an interim injunction restraining the defendants and their associates from converging and carrying out their proposed protests in Lagos State except at the approved locations between August 1 and 10, 2024, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Additionally, the court directed the Lagos State Police Commissioner to ensure security and traffic management support for the protests at the designated parks. The order also included substituted service of the court’s order, the memorandum of claim, and all other pre-action protocol documents on the defendants via publication in a widely read national newspaper.
This ruling comes amid heightened tensions and preparations for the nationwide protest set to commence on August 1.
