The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday adjourned until May 29 the hearing of a suit filed by vulnerable FCT residents—including scavengers, beggars, and petty traders—against Minister Nyesom Wike and others over alleged human rights violations.

Justice James Omotosho granted the adjournment after the plaintiffs’ counsel, Adamu Mahmood, sought more time to file a further affidavit in response to counter-affidavits served by the defendants.

The residents are seeking N500 million in damages, alleging arbitrary arrests and harassment by security operatives. Defendants in the suit include Wike, the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), alongside the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Federal Government.

The NSCDC and DSS, in their counter-affidavits, denied the allegations and urged the court to dismiss the suit.

Filed by human rights lawyer Abba Hikima, the suit (marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1749/2024) accuses security agencies of unlawfully apprehending vulnerable residents on November 12, 2024, along Ahmadu Bello Way, Abuja. Hikima claims the arrests, which included hawkers, traders, and homeless persons, were conducted violently, causing fear and humiliation.

Hikima, suing in the public interest, is asking the court to halt what he describes as arbitrary crackdowns on Abuja’s vulnerable citizens and to award damages for the alleged violation of their fundamental rights.