Lagos Court Extends Protest Restrictions to Two Designated Venues

A Lagos High Court in Igbosere has extended its order restricting protests in Lagos to Freedom Park and Peace Park in Ojota and Ketu, respectively. Justice S.I. Sonaike issued the extension following an application from Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN.

Pedro, represented in court by Director for Civil Litigations Mr. Hameed Oyenuga, informed the court on Tuesday that the initial order had been properly served on all respondents, in line with the pre-action protocols set by Justice Emmanuel Ogundare last week. Despite the lack of responses from the defendants, Pedro argued for the need to extend the protest restrictions to maintain the state’s current relative peace amidst nationwide demonstrations.

In her ruling, Justice Sonaike expressed satisfaction with the Attorney-General’s adherence to Justice Ogundare’s previous orders. She confirmed that the restriction of protests to Freedom Park and Peace Park would continue until full compliance with the pre-action directives is achieved.

Last week, Justice Ogundare had issued a preemptive ex parte order in response to an application by Pedro aimed at ensuring public safety and preventing potential harm to lives and property during the protests. The order had imposed restrictions on the locations where protests could occur.

The application listed Adamma Ukpabi and Tosin Harsogba (representing the Active Citizens Group), Comrade Juwon Sanyaolu and Hassan Soweto (representing the Take It Back Movement), unnamed individuals, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, as co-defendants.

Pedro argued that, as the Chief Law Officer of Lagos State, he had been informed of various notices both supporting and opposing the nationwide protests. He stressed the importance of protecting critical state infrastructure and avoiding the kind of damage witnessed during the EndSARS protests in 2020.