A High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja has dismissed a motion filed by one Kenechukwu Okeke to strike out the substantive suit filed by 50 celebrities and human rights activists to stop their trial and direct criminal complaint/suit filed against them.
The court also by the ruling, upheld all injunctive orders restraining the Nigeria Police Force, Kenechukwu Okeke from taking any steps to prosecute the 50 Nigeria individuals over the 2020 EndSARS protest.
Okeke had filed a suit in his capacity at the FCT Magistrate’s Court Wuse Zone 6 against all the 50 individuals for showing support for the October 2020 #EndSARS protest by tweeting about it or getting physically involved.
On Friday, Justice Bello Kawu held that the injunctive orders made by the court and the suit filed by the human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju in his representative capacity is proper and legal in law as the FCT High Court sitting in Kubwa-FCT is acting in its supervisory jurisdiction over the lower Magistrate’s Court, against the criminal suit filed by Kenechukwu Okeke.
The lead counsel for Adeyanju, Samuel Ihensekhien, representing 49 others in the suit, commended the ruling, adding that it was a victory for the ordinary people of Nigeria, and a pointer to the fact that peaceful protest is not a crime in Nigeria.
He said the landmark ruling would enable the court to take and entertain their final application to quash and dismiss the frivolous, direct criminal complaint and charge filed by Okeke at the Magistrate’s Court against the affected individuals.
