PHOTO: Judge who Gave Order Restricting #EndBadGovernance Protesters Hails From Wike’s Hometown
Rights activist and lawyer, Chidi Odinkalu has stated that the lawyer who gave the order restricting #EndBadGovernance protesters to the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja hails from Nyesom Wike’s hometown in Rivers state.
Wike is Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State governor.
In a post on X on Sunday, Odinkalu, a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, said, “I didn’t really want to be the person saying it but the @fcthighcourt judge who gave the order to kettle #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters in the Moshood Abiola Stadium just happened to come from the same village as the Minister of the FCT, the plaintiff. Calculate the odds!”
Justice S.C Oriji gave the order restricting protesters to the national stadium from the earlier planned Eagles Square in Abuja.
Checks show that S.C. Oriji hails from Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers state and was appointed into the FCT High Court, Abuja in 2003.
Checks show that Wike also hails from the same local government area.
The Federal High Court in Abuja gave the order that restricted protesters to the stadium after a suit brought forward by the FCT Minister, through an ex-parte motion.
The judge in his ruling granted the minister’s prayer for an order directing the police and other security agencies to provide the protesters “adequate protection within the Moshood Abiola Stadium Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, throughout the period of the planned protest from 1st of August to 10th of August”.
The judge asked that the order be served on the organisers through publication on print and online media.
