#EndSARS: SERAP Seeks Legal Backings For Protesters

BY SEYIFUNMI LUMEKO

Apparently seing failure on the part of the Nigerian police to protect protesters of #EndSARS, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project on Thursday sought for legal power from the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Filing a fresh lawsuit at the court on Thursday, SERAP prays for an order protecting the protesters from harassment. It specifically tagged President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; Commissioner of Police, Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu; and the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; as defendants of the lawsuit.

SERAP prays the  court to issue an injunction restraining Buhari and the other respondents sending their agents to “harass, arrest, detain or in any other manner infringing on the fundamental rights of peaceful protesters in the EndSARS/SARSMustEnd / ReformPolice protests or any other peaceful protest in Nigeria.”

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The group asked the court to declare that Buhari has no legal right “using members of the Nigeria Police Force through the 1st and 2nd respondents, the military and other paramilitary formations to intimidate, threaten, ‘arrest’, beat, harass, shoot, kill and detain unarmed peaceful protesters in the ‘EndSARS/‘SARSMustEnd’/‘ReformPolice’ .”

SERAP wants the court to declare such clamp down on protesters as a violation of sections 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 40 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights [Ratification & Enforcement] Act Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.