The Lagos State Government said it had appealed against a judgment which annulled the restriction of movement on environmental sanitation days in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Lagos Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, made this known in a statement issued in Lagos on Friday.
NAN also reports that Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos had delivered the judgment in a suit filed against the government by a human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa.
The judge held that such restriction of movement in the name of sanitation only amounted to a violation of the citizens’ right to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed by Sections 35 and 41 of the Constitution.
Idris consequently voided the power of the government and its agent to arrest any citizen found moving between 7am and 10am on the last Saturday of every month when the environmental sanitation was observed.
However, Ipaye said the government had filed a Notice of Appeal on March 17 challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.
“The government contended that the court misdirected itself in not considering all relevant statutes as required by law on the subject matter of Environmental Sanitation before passing the Judgment,” he said.
Ipaye said a motion for stay of execution of the judgment pending the determination of the appeal was also filed and had been adjourned to April 16 for hearing.
“In accordance with the established legal principles, it is believed that status quo will remain and environmental sanitation with movement restriction will continue until the determination of the application,” he said.