A civil society organisation, Freedom Ambassadors Organisation, Tuesday cautioned the Edo state government against attempting to continue enforcing movement restrictions during monthly environmental sanitation.
The organisation warned that such action could amount to contempt of court.
The warning follows a March 26, 2026 judgment of the Edo state High Court in Benin City, which nullified the enforcement of a 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. stay-at-home order on sanitation days and declared it unconstitutional.
Justice Isoken Urhomwen Erameh, in the ruling, held that the restriction violated Section 41(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of movement, and also contravened Articles 12 and 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
At a press briefing in Benin City, the founder and president of the organisation, Curtis Ogbebor, said, “any continued enforcement of the suspended restriction would undermine the authority of the court.”
Ogbebor cautioned that disregarding the judgment or attempting to sustain the movement restriction through other means could expose relevant authorities to contempt proceedings.
He also faulted the state government’s plan to appeal the ruling, describing it as a misplacement of priority in the face of urgent sanitation challenges.
He said rather than pursue litigation, the government should focus on strengthening waste management systems and investing in modern sanitation infrastructure.
He added that effective sanitation requires daily, structured interventions, improved waste collection systems, and stronger environmental enforcement, rather than periodic shutdowns.
Ogbebor highlighted gaps in the state’s sanitation framework, including inadequate waste trucks, insufficient public waste bins, weak enforcement mechanisms, and poor investment in recycling and sewage management.
