Juwon Sanyaolu, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, stated that he did not receive any court notice limiting the planned protest in Lagos to the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and the Peace Park in Ketu.
The Take It Back Movement is one of the groups organizing the upcoming nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardships set to begin on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
A Lagos State High Court recently restricted the proposed protest in Lagos to these two parks.
Justice Emmanuel Ogundare granted an ex parte application filed by the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro.
The defendants listed in the court order include TIB leader Sanyaolu, Adamma Ukpabi, Tosin Harsogba (representing Active Citizens Group), Hassan Soweto, Persons unknown, and the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.
The judge granted an interim injunction to restrict the defendants from organizing protests in Lagos from August 1-10, except at the approved locations, between 8 am and 6 pm.
During his argument in court, Pedro emphasized the need to safeguard the state’s critical infrastructures and prevent a repeat of the loss of lives and property witnessed during the EndSARS protest in 2020, citing information about varied interests both supporting and opposing the planned protest.
In an interview with NewsNow, Sanyaolu expressed his disbelief, stating, “I have not received any notice, and therefore consider this information as mere hearsay, taken too seriously! No court order can suppress the people’s longing for freedom.”
He added, “I have not been personally served or through any other means. How can I be aware of the order or its details? How can I or any ‘unknown person’ as claimed, comply with something we have not been informed of?”
Adeyemi Taofeek, the Lagos Coordinator of TIB, in response to the court ruling, called on the state to provide buses to transport protesters from their gathering points to the designated parks.
“The buses provided should be clean, safe, and have air conditioning. They should be available at the gathering points by 6 am and transport protesters back by 6 pm daily. The failure to provide buses would mean protesters marching to the designated parks daily for the EndBadGovernance actions,” Taofeek emphasized.
State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, did not confirm whether the state would comply with the demand for buses, citing that a statement addressing this issue would be released.