The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed against the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The lawsuit was filed by 17 citizens who opposed the protests and argued that they violated their rights.
Among those sued was Omoyele Sowore, who leads the Take It Back Movement.
The plaintiffs also sued the Federal Attorney General's Office (PGF), the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and other senior security officials as mere nominal parties.
The plaintiffs, representing several regions of Nigeria, filed the lawsuit on August 13 seeking to stop the nationwide protests.
However, Judge Peter Lifu dismissed the case on Thursday due to the plaintiffs' absence from the proceedings, which the judge deemed a lack of procedural diligence.
The judge expressed surprise and frustration when neither the plaintiffs nor the defendants appeared in court on Thursday, the day the suit was to be heard.
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“This court has no choice but to conclude that the plaintiffs are no longer interested in the proceedings,” Mr. Lifu said.
Background
The petitioners had sought an order compelling security agencies, including the State Security Service (SSS) and the Nigerian military, to suppress the protests which ended on August 10.
The protests began on August 1 against economic hardships attributed to President Boal Tinubu's economic policies.
However, anti-protest citizens filed a lawsuit arguing that the demonstrations violated their fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of movement, human dignity and national security.
The plaintiffs included Danladi Goje, Buky Abayomi and Adiza Abbo.
They justified their demand by pointing to incidents of alleged property destruction in states such as Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa.
They filed an ex parte application seeking an injunction against the previous protest.
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However, on August 13, Judge Lifu dismissed the application, finding it groundless.
He noted that the protests had already subsided by the time the application was submitted.
He added that there was no evidence to suggest the protesters intended to resume their activities.