A federal High Court in Lagos has slammed a 1 million Naira fine on the Nigerian Government for disrupting the revolution now protests organised by Omoyele Sowore and a few other people in Lagos.
According to a report by theCable, a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje took the Federal Government to court over disruption of the protest which happened on August, 5 2019 and asked for damages of N500 million.
Barrister Ogungbeje told the court that he also took part in the protest and was among those teargassed by men of the Nigerian Police.
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He accused the federal government of denying himself and other people present at the protest, their constitutional right to peaceful assembly and association as contained in sections 38,39 and 40 of the 1999 constitution.
Ogungbeje narrating his experience to the court said;
“I met agents and operatives of the respondents who had barricaded the venue of the peaceful protest for good governance in Nigeria.”
“I was tear-gassed by agents of the respondents and the peaceful protest was forcefully disrupted by the respondents.”
“I have been denied my fundamental constitutional rights of peaceful assembly and association by the respondents, without cause.”
While delivering her judgement, Justice Maureen Onyetenu said the disruption of the revolution now protests was unconstitutional, Illegal, oppressive and undemocratic.
She thereafter condemned the mass arrests, harrasment and teargasing of protesters by the Police and awarded a fine of N1 million instead of the original amount the applicant prayed for.
She also upheld the defence of the DSS that it was not involved in the disruption of the protests while ordering the Federal Government to publish an apology to the applicant in three national dailies.
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