16 ENDSARS protesters have appealed to the Federal High Court in Abuja to override the temporary restraining order placed on their accounts by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
According to reports, the bank froze the accounts of 20 EndSARS supporters for funding the protest against police brutality, before obtaining a court order to support its action.
The move was seen as one of the government’s many repression on peaceful protesters. In a court affidavit, CBN revealed that the decision to freeze the accounts was based on suspicions that the protesters might have been funded through terrorism.
But on Thursday, the disgruntled protesters filled a motion requesting for the restraining order to be removed. The motion was supported by a Nigerian lawyer and Human rights activist, Femi Falana.
In their appeal, the 16 applicants, referred to the CBN actions as illegal, as they acted beyond their authority by shutting down their bank accounts, before obtaining a court order.
Appalled to be labeled as ‘Terrorists ‘ by the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, the protest promoters accused CBN of acting beyond its power as it not part of the investigating or prosecuting agencies recognized in Nigeria.
Marshal Abubakar, one of Femi Falana chambers, revealed in a dropped affidavit. that the protest supporters’ accounts were blocked without any proof of terrorism and they were never arrested for crimes before.