The Nigerian Bar Association said on Wednesday that blocking the accounts of #EndSARS protesters on the pretext that they were terrorism suspects showed that the Federal Government was insincere.
The Federal Government come under heavy criticism for tagging #EndSARS protesters a terrorist group following the explanation for freezing the account of 20 participants of the protest.
Recall that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja received an ex-parte suit to freeze the accounts of the protesters saying that the accounts might have been linked to terrorist activities and thereafter obtained an ex parte order to that effect.
Speaking for the body of lawyers in an interview, the Publicity Secretary of the association, Dr Raps Nduka, maintained that the #EndSARS protests were lawful and the demands of the campaigners genuine.
Nduka said, “The timing looks very suspicious. The protests are lawful and the demands of the protesters and the concerns they expressed are genuine.
“What has happened shows that the protesters were right to insist that they were not going to leave the streets because over time, the government would promise something and do the opposite. This action of the CBN lends credence to the position taken by the youth.
“Even if the government is right, who will believe it at this time? The government makes it look like it is trying to silence people from talking about the ills of the society. Why does the government appear to be doing that?”
In the case with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1384/2020, filed before Justice A. R. Mohammed, the CBN, however, made no mention of the fact that the 20 accounts were owned by persons involved in the #EndSARS protests, but told the court that the funds might have emanated from terrorist activities.
Source: Punch
