Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of ten #EndBadGovernance protesters in prison custody following their arraignment on charges of treason, mutiny, and intent to destabilize Nigeria.
The protesters, nine male and one female, were remanded on Monday, with the male defendants sent to Kuje Prison and the female defendant to Suleja Prison.
The court has scheduled September 11 for the trial and ruling on the bail application for the protesters, who have been accused of levying war against the state, attacking police officers, and inciting violence during the nationwide protests held between August 1 and 10, 2024.
The ten defendants arraigned before Justice Nwite are Michael Adaramoye (also known as Lenin), Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaoluwa Simon, Angel Innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khamis, and Abdulsalam Zubairu.
They all pleaded not guilty to the six counts of alleged treason, conspiracy to commit felony, and incitement to mutiny, offenses punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.
The charges against the defendants also include accusations of attempting to intimidate President Bola Tinubu by allegedly injuring police officers and burning police stations, government buildings, and private properties during the protests.
In response to the ongoing trial, Isa Sanusi, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, condemned the legal proceedings, describing them as a “sham” and calling for the immediate release of the protesters.
“We condemn the sham trials even before they began and call for an end to these endless bizarre attempts to deprive people of the right to peaceful protest,” Sanusi stated.
He further criticized the Nigerian authorities for prioritizing the punishment of protesters while failing to address the killings of demonstrators across several states.
“The Nigerian government has been wrongfully placing priority on punishing protesters, without saying even a word on the urgent need to investigate the killing of dozens of protesters across Kano, Katsina, Suleja/Tafa, Jigawa, and Maiduguri,” Sanusi added.
The #EndBadGovernance protests, which took place from August 1 to 10, were organized by youths frustrated by the country’s worsening economic conditions, including skyrocketing prices of food and basic commodities, exacerbated by the government’s removal of petrol subsidies and unification of forex windows.
The protesters’ demands included the restoration of petrol subsidies, addressing food shortages, tackling unemployment, reducing government spending, and reforming the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The protests, initially peaceful, turned violent in several states, including Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, and Jigawa, where hoodlums reportedly took advantage of the situation to loot warehouses and private stores.
Police reported that seven people died during the protests, although they denied any involvement in the killings. Civil society organizations have condemned the use of tear gas and excessive force by the police to disperse the demonstrators.
As the trial date approaches, the case continues to draw significant attention from both national and international observers, with concerns over the handling of the protesters and the broader implications for the right to peaceful assembly in Nigeria.