Identity of Judge Who Restricted Abuja Protesters Disclosed, Reportedly Linked to Wike

• The full details about the judge who granted an order restricting protesters in Abuja to the MKO National Stadium have surfaced online
• Chidi Odinkalu, a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law, shared a photo of Justice Sylvanus Oriji, on his page and other details
• In his ruling, Justice Oriji, who recognized the rights of the protesters to embark on the 10-day hardship protest, however, restricted them to the Stadium

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements

The identity of the judge who gave the order restricting Abuja protesters has been revealed.

Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, issued an order restricting protesters from the just-concluded EndBadGovernance protest to MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

As reported by Daily Trust on Sunday, August 11, the judge hails from Obi Akpor local government area (LGA) of Rivers State, like the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

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Chidi Odinkalu, a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, drew attention to the development on Sunday.

In his page on X, the professor shared a post about the identity of the professor and tweeted:

“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.”

Details on Wike's suit, court order that restricted Abuja protesters

Meanwhile, Oriji issued the order while delivering a ruling on an ex-parte application brought before the court by Wike, and argued by Ogwu Onoja.

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Legit.ng reported that Abuja high court had earlier granted an injunction seeking to confine protesters to the MKO Abiola National Stadium.

The FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, had urged protesters to obey the court order, but the protesters' leaders said they had not been served with a copy of the order.

In a new twist, Wike praised the Abuja protesters for their non-violent approach and emphasized the critical importance of maintaining peace in the nation's capital.

Wike also contended that the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not opposed to the protest.

However, he noted that intelligence and security reports indicated that some elements within the leadership of the protesters intended to use the protest to cause havoc, damage public facilities, block roadways and disturb public peace.

See the details of the judge below:

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Protest: Late Abacha's ex-CSO cautions against call for military rule

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that the late General Sani Abacha's Chief Security Officer, Hamza Al-Mustapha, has stated that despite growing frustrations among Nigerians, which have led to calls for military intervention, such a move is not the solution.

The retired Nigerian Army major and intelligence officer stated this in an interview with journalists.

Al-Mustapha argued that instead of turning to military rule, Nigeria should refine its democratic processes to address current issues.

Source: Legit.ng