Lagos State High Court in Igbosere on Tuesday extended an earlier order restricting protesters in the state to the Freedom and Peace Parks in the Ojota and Ketu areas of the state.
Justice Sherifat Sonaike made the order following an application by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN, for an extension order having complied with the pre-action protocols for preemptive remedies ordered last week by another vacation judge, Justice Emmanuel Ogundare.
Pedro, who was represented in court by the Director for Civil Litigations, Mr. Hameed Oyenuga, informed the court that the earlier court order had been served on all respondents in accordance with the pre-action protocols for pre-emptive relief sought by the AG against the protesters‘ representatives.
He reasoned that, while the respondents in the litigation had yet to react to the application, there was a need to extend the previous protest limitation order to two sites so that the state could continue to enjoy the relative tranquilly it was experiencing despite the ongoing protests throughout the country.
In her verdict, Justice Sonaike stated that she is pleased with the AG’s compliance with Justice Ogundare’s orders and ordered that the protests be restricted to Freedom and Peace Parks in the Ojota and Ketu districts of the state until full compliance with the pre-action orders is achieved.
“Pre-emptive relief, earlier granted, is hereby extended.
“The lifespan of the intended order is hereby extended until there is full compliance with the protocol. The return date shall be the 29th of August 2024,” Justice Sonaike said.
Last week, Justice Ogundare ruled on Mr. Pedro’s preemptive exparte application to protect and secure public safety and prevent irreparable loss of life and property in the state during the protests and imposed limits on protestors.
Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (for Active Citizens Group), Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (for Take It Back Movement), unknown individuals, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police are listed as co-defendants in the application.
While presenting his application to the court, Mr. Pedro argued that, as the Chief Law Officer of the State and having received notices from various interests supporting and opposing the nationwide protest, there is a need to protect the state’s critical infrastructure and prevent irreparable loss of life and property, as witnessed during the #EndSARS protest in 2020.
