The Edo State High Court struck down restrictions on human and vehicular movement during the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
Justice Isoken Urhomwen Erameh declared that the stay-at-home order enforced between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on sanitation days violated citizens’ constitutional rights.
The court held that the restrictions contravened Section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement, and also breached Articles 12 and 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Justice Erameh issued a perpetual injunction restraining the Edo State Government and its agents from interfering with the movement of persons or vehicles on account of any sanitation exercise. In addition, the applicants were awarded ₦200,000 in costs.
The judgment is expected to reshape how sanitation enforcement is carried out in Edo State, compelling authorities to balance public health measures with constitutional freedoms. Curtis Ogbebor, Executive Director of the Incorporated Trustees of Freedom Ambassadors Organisation, hailed the decision, stressing that governance must align with the rule of law and that rights cannot be suspended for convenience.
Counsel to the applicants, President Aigbokhan, echoed this view, criticising the government’s reliance on movement restrictions rather than providing adequate logistics, such as waste collection trucks and supervisory personnel.
Supporting counsel Robinson Ayodele Otuakhena clarified that the ruling does not abolish sanitation exercises but invalidates the restriction of movement. He emphasised that the decision reorients the government toward its primary responsibility of supporting and supervising sanitation activities rather than arresting citizens for exercising their fundamental rights. #Securitynewsalert.com
