By Abiola Olawale
A former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu has pointed out that Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, who issued the order to confine participants of the recent #EndBadGovernance protest to MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, shares the same local government as the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Odinkalu, a Professor of Practice in International Human Rights Law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University said both Oriji and Wike hailed from Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He also added that the judge might purportedly be loyal to the Minister.
Odinkalu made this known in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
He tweeted: “I didn’t 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!” the professor tweeted.
The New Diplomat reports that Justice Oriji issued the order while delivering a ruling on an ex-parte application brought before the court by Wike, and argued by Ogwu Onoja.
Wike had approached the court, seeking an order to confine the protesters to only MKO Abiola Stadium.
The minister had argued that the government received intelligence and security reports indicating 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.
