An FCT High Court in Kubwa, Abuja, has granted an application for stay of proceedings in a case between controversial lawyer Kenechukwu Okeke and 50 prominent Nigerians accused of championing the historic #EndSARS protests last year.
Justice Bello
Kawu in his ruling on Wednesday, granted the prayers of the applicants who had,
among other things, sought an order of the court restraining the Nigeria Police
Force, and the Abuja police commissioner from arresting or taking further steps
against them on the matter.
This followed
an application filed by one of the counsels to the applicants, Samuel
Ihensekhien Jnr.
Mr. Okeke,
had last November filed a criminal complaint against rights activists Deji
Adeyanju and Aisha Yesufu, as well as popular singer Davido and preacher Sam
Adeyemi among others, at an Abuja magistrate’s court in Wuse.
The lawyer
had sought punishment for the prominent personalities, who also included Tiwa
Savage, Feyikemi Abudu, Wizkid and Dipo Awojide, for their roles in enhancing
advocacy for the now rested protests against decades of police atrocities
against citizens.
A chief
magistrate in Abuja, Omolola Akindele, had directed the Abuja police
commissioner Bala Ciroma to investigate the activists.
The lawsuit,
which had sparked public outrage, was widely perceived as an ill-fated scheme
to silence the plurality of Nigerians.
No comments:
Post a Comment