The court also barred the protesters from anywhere close to the villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

Justice Mohammed Umar, on Friday, granted the ex-parte motion moved by the police lawyer, Wisdom Madaki, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, FRN, contrary to the earlier media reports in circulation.

The certified true copy of the enrolled order, signed by the court Registrar, Mr Kasim Muazu, and the presiding judge, Justice Umar, was made available on Saturday in Abuja.

The judge also made an order of abridgement of time “within which the respondents will respond to the application on notice to cause the ex-parte order be set aside on Monday, the 20th of October, 2025 at 9.00am.”

This was also contrary to some media reports that Justice Umar adjourned the matter until October 21 for the parties to appear in court.

“The respondents are hereby restrained in the interim from protesting in the following areas: Aso Rock Villa, or anywhere close to Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and on Shehu Shagari way pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

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“The court hereby abridged time within which the respondents will respond to the application on notice to cause this ex-parte order be set aside on Monday, the 20th of October, 2025 at 9.00am.

“The order of this court together with the motion on notice be served on the respondents today, Friday, the 17th day of October, 2025,” the judge ordered.

Justice Umar subsequently adjourned the matter until October 20 for hearing of the motion on notice.

“ISSUED AT ABUJA under the Hand of the Presiding Judge, Honourable Justice M. G. Umar, and the Seal of the Court this 17th day of October, 2025,” the enrolled order reads.

In the ex-parte motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2202/2025, the police, on behalf of FRN, sued five respondents.

They are Omoyele Sowore, Sahara Reporters Ltd, Sahara Reporters’ Media Foundation, Take It Back Movement, (TIB), for the Transformation of Nigeria Or Any Form of Organisation or Any Other Person(s) Acting Either Express or Implied Instruction or Any Other Organisation or Group With the Like Intention; and Unknown Persons as 1st to 5th respondents respectively.

The motion dated and filed on October 16 sought one relief.

“An order of this honourable court restraining or ban protesters from protesting in the following areas, Aso Rock Villa or anywhere close to Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way.

“And for such further orders as this honourable court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case.”

The affidavit in support of the ex-parte motion was deposed to by Bassey Ibithan, a police officer attached to Directorate of Legal Services, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Mr Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, had planned to organise the protest for the release of Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Sowore, the 2019 and 2023 presidential candidate of African Action Congress, ACC, had begun mobilisation for what he called a planned peaceful protest against the detention Kanu.

However, there have also been ongoing calls for political solution to Kanu’s trial who is facing alleged terrorism offence at the Federal High Court before Justice James Omotosho.

Source: NAN

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The resolution followed a motion by the Deputy Minority Whip, Rep. Aliyu Madaki, at the plenary in Abuja on Thursday.

In his motion, he expressed concern over the suspense created by the planned increase in electricity tariff by Distribution Companies, DISCOs.

The lawmaker recalled that DISCOs recently alerted customers of a planned electricity tariff hike, hinging it on the Multi-Year Tariff Oder, MYTO.

He cited a circular issued to that effect by the distribution firms, adding that effective July 1, 2023, there would be an upward review of the electricity tariff influenced by fluctuating rates.

He said, under the MYTO, 2022 guidelines, the previous exchange rate of N 441/$1 might be revised to approximately N750/$1 which would have an impact on the tariffs associated with electricity.

He said under the planned hike, consumers within ‘B’ and ‘C’ with supply hours ranging from 12–16 hours per day would pay N100 per KWh.

He said consumers within and ‘B’ with 16–20 hours, would experience comparatively higher tariffs, for customers with prepaid metre, whereas, for those on estimated billing, a significant increment was expected.

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He said the recent statement by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, directing its consumers to disregard the earlier notice of the increase in the electricity tariffs hike was confusing.

He added that members of the public were confused as to what to believe.

The lawmaker said the proposed increase was coming in spite of the inability of the operators to meet the threshold of supplying at least 5,000 megawatts per year.

That, he said, was after signing the contract with NERC, adding that it was insensitive to come up with price increase of such magnitude at this time when many Nigerians were yet to come to terms with the fuel increase.

Contributing to the motion, Rep.  Babajimi Benson (APC-Lagos) and Rep. Olumide Oshoba (APC-Ogun) called for caution in view of the pain the Nigerians are going through occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.

Benson noted the increase cost of infrastructure, which companies must strive to cover.

Osoba however said that it was impossible to control prices for a deregulated market.

Rep. Satomi Ahmed (APC-Borno) and Ali Isa JC (PDP-Gombe) insisted that the burden of the subsidy removal on Nigerians was still huge to bear in addition to any tariff hike for electricity.

Ahmed said there had been virtually no investment in infrastructure since the DISCOs took over distribution of power, as communities were still procuring transformers in order to be connected.

Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committee on Power when constituted to interface with NERC with a view to finding a common ground to addressing the proposed hike in the interest of Nigerians.

Source: NAN

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