Yemi Olakitan 
A Lagos high court has extended an order limiting #EndBadGovernance protesters to two designated venues: Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in Ketu.
Presiding Judge, Sherifat Sonaike granted the extension on Tuesday, building on an initial order issued on July 30.
The Lagos state government had secured the initial order through an ex parte application filed by Attorney-General, Lawal Pedro, just 48 hours before the protest’s August 1 kickoff.
The application named Adamma Ukpabi, Tosin Harsogba, Juwon Sanyaolu, Hassan Soweto, and the Lagos state commissioner of police as defendants, along with “persons unknown”.
The extension of the order means protesters remain restricted to the two designated venues, limiting their ability to demonstrate at other locations across the state.
Emmanuel Ogundare, the presiding judge, ruled that the protest from August 1 to 10 should only be held within the approved locations and between “8am to 6pm, pending compliance with the pre-action protocol by the claimant”.
Ogundare also ordered the police to “protect the fundamental rights of protesters within the approved designated locations and time for peaceful public protests, rallies, and meetings in Lagos state”.
At the resumption of the hearing on Tuesday, Hameed Oyenuga, the director of litigation in Lagos, represented the commissioner for justice in court.
Oyenuga told the judge the earlier court order had been served on all the respondents in compliance with the pre-action protocols for preemptive reliefs sought by the state against the representatives of the protesters.
He added that the respondents in the suit have not responded to the application.
“There is the need to extend the earlier restriction order of the protest to two venues. This is to ensure that the state can continue to enjoy the relative peace being experienced despite the ongoing protests across the country,” Oyenuga said.
