A revelation has emerged about the judge who ordered the restriction of protesters during the recent #EndBadGovernance demonstration in Abuja.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, who delivered the ruling, has been found to hail from the same local government area, Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, as Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Professor Chidi Odinkalu, a renowned expert in International Human Rights Law, brought this to light on Sunday.
He said in a tweet: “I didn’t really want to be the person saying it, but the @fcthighcourt judge who gave the order to kettle #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters in the Moshood Abiola Stadium just happened to come from the same village as the Minister of the FCT, the plaintiff. Calculate the odds!”
Justice Oriji’s ruling restricted protesters to the MKO Abiola Stadium, citing concerns about potential violence and disruption of public peace.
The ruling was made in response to an ex-parte application brought by Wike, who claimed that intelligence reports indicated some protesters intended to cause havoc and damage public facilities.
Wike argued that security agencies were not adequately equipped to manage potential crises on short notice, and therefore sought to prevent the protest altogether.