A High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed against Nigerian star singers, Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Falz, human rights activists, Aisha Yesufu, popular preacher, Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre amongst others by one Kenechukwu Okeke, a human rights activist.
Justice Bello Jawu of the High Court sitting in Abuja struck out the suit filed against the above mentioned and 47 others, all celebrities and activists over their activities during the October 2020 EndSARS protests.
The judge in a ruling delivered on Friday, July 2, also restrained the Nigeria Police Force and Okeke from taking any steps to prosecute the individuals for their role played during the protest.
For those who don’t know, Kenechukwu Okeke had in November 2020 filed criminal proceedings against the 50 persons before a magistrate court in Abuja over claims that they promoted the October 2020 EndSARS protests.
Okeke in the suit accused the 50 persons of acting in a manner with intent to assist in the promotion of an unlawful assembly under the guise or composition of #EndSARS.
However, the defendants had filed a suit before a magistrate’s court, seeking the dismissal of the charges, but Okeke filed a counter-motion seeking dismissal of their countersuits.
Meanwhile, the magistrate’s court had in its ruling, ordered the commissioner of police in FCT to investigate the defendants and report back to the court after two weeks.
Be that as it may, in the ruling delivered on Friday, Justice Kawu ruled that the suit filed by Deji Adeyanju in his representative capacity is proper, adding that the high court is acting in its supervisory jurisdiction over the magistrate’s court against the criminal proceedings filed by Okeke.
Meanwhile, lawyer to Deji Adeyanju and 49 other #EndSARS protesters, Samuel Ihensekhien while reacting to the judgement, disclosed that the ruling shows that peaceful protest is legal and not a crime in Nigeria.
He said; “By virtue of today’s ruling, his motion of dismissal of this substantive case has been dismissed by the honourable FCT high court. The consequence of it is that the court will hear the substantive application to formally dismiss the pending criminal complaint and charge before the magistrate’s court.”
