Traditional religion worshippers have dragged the Nigeria Police Force and two others to a Kwara State High Court over an alleged breach of their fundamental human rights.
The traditionalists said that they were prevented from holding the Isese festival celebration scheduled to take place in Ilorin, the state capital, last Sunday, August 20, 2023.
The traditional religious worshippers said in suit number KWS/172/23 filed before the Court on August 21, 2023, that the Police infringed on their fundamental rights by preventing them from holding the Isese festival celebration at Odo-Yemoja, or Odo Moro, and the river Binah in Ilorin, Kwara State, on August 20, 2023.
Joined as defendants in the suit are the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command.
The suit was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the International Council of Ifa Religion (ICIR) and 82 others on behalf of traditional religion worshippers.
The suit titled “An Application for the Enforcement of Fundamental Rights to the Dignity of the Human Person, Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Freedom of Movement, and Freedom from Discrimination was filed on their behalf by their Counsel, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo of Malcolm Omirhobo and Co.
The Application was brought pursuant to Order II Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 as preserved by Sections 34(1)(a), 38(1), 39(1), 40(1), 41(1), 42(2), 45 and 46 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended) and the inherent jurisdiction of this Honourable Court.
The Applicants in the suit said that they are devotees and adherents of Ifa/Orisa African Traditional Religion, adding that they commenced the case against the Respondents for the enforcement of their fundamental rights to the dignity of their human person, to their freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, to their freedom of expression, to their freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and to their freedom from discrimination and freedom of movement as enshrined and guaranteed in the Nigerian Constitution.
They alleged that the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, who is the third respondent in the suit, described the applicants as “idle people, warning, threatening, coercing, bullying, embarrassing, intimidating, harassing, debasing them, and ordering them not to celebrate Isese World Day on August 20, 2023, at the banks of the River Yemoja, River Binan, and River Moroo or anywhere in Kwara State.
They also alleged that the servants, agents, and privies of the Nigeria Police, which is the first respondent, were directed to enforce the non-celebration of Isese by sealing off the venue of the event. which is a flagrant violation of the Applicants’ fundamental rights to the dignity of their human person, freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, freedom from discrimination, and freedom of movement.
They said that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Respondents refused, failed, and/or neglected to caution, arrest, and prosecute the Muslim clerics and groups threatening to kill, maim, and/or destroy the Applicants and all the devotees and adherents of Ifa and Orisa religion if they go on with their planned Isese festival, but instead ordered the applicants and the devotees and adherents of Ifa and Orisa religion not to carry on with the celebration of the Isese festival, threatening to arrest and prosecute them if they go on, and enforcing the none celebration of Isese world day.
They described the action taken by the Police, the IGP, and the State Police Commissioner during the Isese festival celebration as illegal, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
The applicants, however, prayed the Court to determine what their Fundamental Human rights are and whether they have the right to freedom of expression without interference, the right to hold opinions or views without interference, the right to receive ideas and information without interference, the right to impart ideas and information without interference, and the right to practise the religion of their choice in any part of Nigeria as guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The suit has yet to be assigned to a court, and no date has been fixed for the hearing.
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