The Federal High Court sitting in Bwari, Abuja, on Wednesday, halted the criminal complaints case instituted by a lawyer against 50 activists and celebrities at a Chief Magistrate’s Court in the aftermath of the violence that erupted during last year’s #EndSARS protests.

The judge, Bello Kawu, made the order stopping the case in a ruling on an application filed by the 50 defendants to challenge the criminal complaints pending before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja. Kawu issued an order of “stay of all proceedings of the direct criminal complaint” pending before the chief magistrate, “Omolola Tolulope O. Akindele sitting at Chief Magistrate Court II, Wuse Zone 6 in the suit, Kenechukwu Okeke vs Deji Adeyanu and 49 others in suit CR/49/2020”.

The judge also granted an order restraining the Nigeria Police Force and the FCT Police Command sued as the second and third defendants in the suit “from taking any further steps, arresting and or taking any unconstitutional/illegal steps in the form of any guise as it concerns the subject matters whatsoever before this court herein as it concerns all parties in the proceedings”.

Recall that a lawyer, Kenechukwu Okeke, in the complaints filed at Chief Magistrate’s Court, asked that the 50 defendants be brought to justice for allegedly promoting the #EndSARS protests which he claimed led to riots that caused destruction of lives and property in different parts of the country.

The anti-police brutality protest tagged #EndSARS had started peacefully in October 2020 until it was later hijacked by hoodlums who hid under the cover of the genuine protesters to loot and unleash violence in major cities of the country.