August 31, (THEWILL) – A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, has granted an order restraining Edo’s Governor Godwin Obaseki and the Edo State Government from enforcing a directive that all residents who have not taken the COVID-19 vaccines be prevented from entering churches, mosques, banks, event centres and other public places from the middle of September.
In a suit with reference number: FHC/PH/FHR/266/2021, dated August 30, 2021, filed by Charles Osaretin against the Governor and five others, the applicant’s lead counsel, Echezona Etiaba (SAN), urged the court to order parties to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice, for the enforcement of the applicant’s Fundamental Human Rights and for the leave of court to serve the respondents by publishing the court’s processes in a national daily newspaper circulating in Nigeria.
The orders, as prayed, were granted by the Vacation Judge at the FHC, Port Harcourt, Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam.
The court subsequently adjourned till September 10 for a hearing of the substantive motion.
THEWILL reports Obaseki had ordered: “From the second week of September 2021, large gatherings will only be accessed by those who have at least taken one dose/jab of the vaccine.
“From the second week of September 2021, people will not be allowed into worship centres (churches and mosques), event centres, and receptions without showing proof of the vaccination cards.
“From the middle of September 2021, you can no longer access the banking services, if you have not been vaccinated.”
Obaseki declared the state government would push for vaccination to build immunity against COVID-19 while indicating the target was to vaccinate 60 percent of the population in 2022.
On Monday, a coalition of civil society organisations, staged a protest in Benin City, the Edo State capital, against the government directive.
Led by Chris Iyama, the group insisted that the recent directive by the Governor infringed on Fundamental Human Rights.
The protesters resisted what they described as forceful vaccination and vaccine profiling and issued a seven-day ultimatum for the Governor to rescind the decision
“Governor Obaseki must rescind his decision. That decision will not stand. The Governor did not seek our opinion. We are giving the Governor seven days,” Iyama said.
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