A GROUP of young Nigerian activists under the aegis of Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM) have initiated a lawsuit against the Federal Government, asserting that their constitutional rights to peaceful assembly and expression were violated during the events surrounding the #EndBadGovernance protests on 1st October 2024.
This was revealed in a document shared with The Explainer on Saturday, February 22 and signed by the organising secretary of Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo.
The plaintiffs—Comrade Abdulmajid Yakubu Daudu, Barrister Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo, Barrister Amina Bello, Comrade Anas Ado Ahmad, Comrade Sani Ibrahim Narogo, and Comrade Abdullahi Adamu Mandawari—were reportedly arrested on 30th September 2024 by combined forces of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force in Kano State.
They were subsequently transported to the Force Intelligence Department in Abuja and detained for two days before being released without formal charges.
The lawsuit, filed under Suit No: FHC/KN/CS/41/2025 at the Federal High Court (Court No. 3) in Kano, names the Nigeria Police Force, the Commissioner of Police in Kano State, the DSS, and the Director of DSS in Kano State as respondents.
The case is scheduled for a hearing on 6th March 2025.
The Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM), under whose aegis the activists organized the protest, issued a press statement expressing concern over the shrinking civic space in Nigeria.
“Citizens’ voices and media freedoms are under increasing threats of being silenced by regime authorities,” the statement read.
The NPFM emphasized that the lawsuit aims to “reassert, defend, and advance the rights of Nigerians to peacefully protest without arrest, molestation, and rights violations.”
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This legal action comes in the context of heightened tensions between Nigerian authorities and civil society groups. In August 2024, nationwide protests against economic hardship and perceived governmental mismanagement were met with a forceful response from security agencies. Amnesty International reported that at least 24 protesters were killed during these demonstrations, with numerous others arrested and detained. The organization highlighted instances where security forces used live ammunition on unarmed protesters, raising serious human rights concerns.
The NPFM has called for solidarity from human rights advocates and progressive forces both within Nigeria and internationally.
“We call on all human rights champions and progressive forces… to rally behind this landmark case under the current regime to reclaim our rights to peaceful protest before we lose it by default,” the statement urged.
The Explainer gathered that the NPFM is a coalition comprising working-class individuals, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, academics, and pan-Nigerian movements committed to promoting good governance, social justice, and development in Nigeria. The coalition operates as a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-partisan entity.
A link to the court proceedings can be accessed here.
