FG charges 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters with treason

On Monday, the Federal Government charged 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters with treason-related offences before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The charges, filed by the Inspector-General of Police under case number FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024 on August 30, included allegations of treason, conspiracy to commit a felony, intent to destabilize Nigeria, and inciting mutiny, punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.

The defendants, among the 124 individuals initially arraigned, include Michael Adaramoye (aka Lenin), Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khakis, and Abdusalam Zubairu. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The charges against the #EndBadGovernance protesters stem from a nationwide protest staged by some youths against economic hardship between August 1 and August 10, which turned violent in some regions, leading to looting and vandalism.

Following the arraignment, defence counsel requested bail for the defendants, arguing that they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Marshall Abubakar, representing the 1st and 3rd defendants, contended that there is no requirement under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, for a written application for bail.

He described the charges as a “camouflage,” asserting that the defendants were merely exercising their constitutional rights to protest.

Abubakar highlighted that the defendants had been detained for extended periods—some for 30 days—before a detention order was granted. He urged the court to grant bail on liberal terms. Other defence lawyers, including Hamza Dantani and Deji Adeyanju, echoed this sentiment, with Dantani noting that his client suffers from asthma.

Prosecuting counsel Simon Lough, SAN, opposed the bail requests, stressing that the charges of treason are severe and that bail should only be granted in exceptional circumstances, which he argued had not been demonstrated by the defence.

Justice Nwite ordered the defendants to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until September 11 for a ruling on the bail applications.