Some pastors have staged a protest against the Edo State Government’s decision to stop people that have not taken the COVID-19 vaccines from attending church services.
A group of clerics with their leader were seen sitting on the ground, and carrying placards with different inscriptions.
Edo State had issued a circular recently indicating that the state government through the Head of Service had mandated civil servants across the state to either take the vaccines or stay from office.
A suit was filed by one Charles Osaretin marked FHC/PH/FHR/266/2021 against the governor and five others at a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The applicant through his counsel, Echezona Etiaba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had asked the court to order parties to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice; for the enforcement of the applicant’s fundamental human rights, and for the leave of court to serve the respondents by publishing the court’s processes in a national daily newspaper.
The judge, Stephen Dalyop Pam, who granted the orders as prayed adjourned the suit till September 10 for a hearing of the substantive motion.
The state governor, Godwin Obaseki, was restrained from enforcing compulsory COVID-vaccination directive, restricting unvaccinated persons from attending mass gatherings from September.
Some leaders of the Christian faith in the state led a protest against the government’s compulsory COVID-19 vaccination directive, which makes the presentation of vaccination certificates a ticket to access public places.