Court Grants Freedom to 119 #EndBadGovernance Protesters, Dismisses Treason Allegations
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed treason charges against 119 Nigerians, including several individuals detained since August for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protests. The decision was made by Judge Obiora Egwuatu, who struck out the case after an application from M.D. Abubakar, counsel to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), requesting to take over and discontinue the charges.
During Tuesday’s session, Abubakar urged the court to permit the AGF to assume control of the case and ultimately withdraw the charges. Reports indicated that the detained minors, initially rejected by Kuje Prison due to their malnourished state, were instead held at a facility for adults under the Nigeria Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team in Apo, Federal Capital Territory.
Sources revealed that 24 of the minors had been granted bail under strict conditions by Justice Egwuatu, but around 20 of them were subsequently hospitalized.
President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of the underage detainees on Monday, following widespread national and international criticism. The announcement was made by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during an emergency briefing at the State House in Abuja.
Reports from Eons TV also disclosed that Vice President Kashim Shettima would lead a handover ceremony to transfer custody of the minors to their respective state governors from the northern region.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Police Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, issued a statement on Monday night stating that security agencies had investigated the allegations of malnourishment among the detained minors.
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