2019 Presidential aspirant and Former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Deputy Governor, Kingsley Moghalu, has applauded the Federal High Court ruling asking the apex bank to unfreeze EndSARS protesters bank accounts.
A demonstrator holds a placard to protest against abuses by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) at the Lekki toll Plaza in Lagos, on October 12, 2020. – Nigerians protested to pressure the government to follow through on disbanding a feared police unit after authorities made the rare concession in the face of widespread anger over abuses. Around 2,000 people blocked one of the main highways in the country’s biggest city Lagos, demanding officials make good on an announcement on October 11, 2020, that the federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was being scrapped. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP) (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)
An Abuja Federal High Court passes the ruling that CBN unfreeze bank accounts of EndSARS protesters who were wrongfully accused of terrorism and fraudulent activities.
CBN, in its defense, said their accounts were frozen because the protesters were under investigation.
Moghalu, who was is a former deputy governor of the apex bank, said the court’s decision was right and in order. In a statement he signed made available to newsmen on Friday, He said;
“I welcome the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to unfreeze the bank accounts of 20 #EndSARS protesters frozen late last year following youth protests against police brutality.”
Kingsley describes the court’s decision as a win for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. In addition, he explained that citizens, including peaceful #EndSARS protesters, “have a constitutional right to protest provided such protest is conducted in a peaceful manner in furtherance of their right to free expression”.
Reacting to the agitation of some Nigerian youths to protest against the reopening of Lekki Toll Gate, Moghalu warned that the government should desist from enacting a repressive response to curtail the situation.
Some youths and some top Nigerian celebrities have promised to return to Lekki Toll Gate to protest the alleged killings of their members on October 20, 2020.
“These accounts should never have been frozen in the first place. I urge our political leaders and public institutions, without prejudice to the need to maintain public order, to engage peaceful protesters on the substance of their grievances, and to resist the temptation to resort to repressive measures. This is part of what the principles of democracy require,” he said.
